Jefferson County Welcomes New Vista Volunteer

Jefferson County's new Vista volunteer, David Butler, probably thought Montana winters were docile when he arrived three weeks ago; then the snow hit this weekend. For the Florida native, the past three weeks have been a time of adjustment – not just to the weather, but to his new responsibilities to the county.

Since 1965 AmeriCorps has been offering the Vista Volunteer program to communities looking to fight poverty and overcome local hardships. Through capacity building activities such as fundraising, grant writing, research, and volunteer recruitment AmeriCorps members in the VISTA program serve in an office setting and gain experience and leadership skills.

Butler applied to several states for the Vista volunteer program and found that Montana's need was most in line with his future goals and focuses. The position will last for one year, with an option to renew.

Butler is working specifically with the Jefferson County Prevention Resource Center, under the guidance of Nicole Palmer and Barb Reiter. He will be working to provide access and information on mental health, suicide prevention, and addiction/substance abuse treatments. He will also be working with food sourcing and security, involving local food banks and teaching the ins and outs of SNAP and other food programs.

"We are delighted to have David with us especially as we begin the implementation Of the CHIP process. He has already demonstrated his ability to look for ways to make our Mental Health Local Advisory Council more affective in Jefferson County. He is definitely a go getter," Reiter said.

The county finalized their community health improvement plan at the end of 2020, Butler said, and his focus is going to be on the mental health campaigns and getting information out in a variety of aspects to the public. Currently Butler is working on website presence and social media.

Butler, who is staying in Boulder but will be traveling throughout the county often, is looking forward to establishing contact with local businesses and individuals. If you are interested in providing Butler with some feedback on any of the topics he is focusing upon, please reach out to him at 321-514-7096 or davidjbutler321@gmail.com.