When she’s not volunteering at the Broad Ripple Farmers Market, chasing squirrels with her dog Lady, or enjoying tacos at La Chinita Poblana, Courtney Perry will be the newest AmeriCorps VISTA member at TPF4Y serving as the US2020 School & Program Coordinator.
Originally from Vermont, Courtney drove to Indianapolis just 2 weeks after graduating from Boston University in May of 2014. After a bumpy first week that involved living in a Motel 6 and eating lots of goldfish crackers while her housing paperwork was being processed, she served as a VISTA member at AYS, Inc., taking on the responsibility of strengthening the services they offer to low-income families. At AYS, Courtney did a lot of data collection and research projects focused on afterschool programming, which perfectly prepared her for her new US2020 role at TPF4Y.
Courtney's dog Lady relaxes in the sun.
As the US2020 School & Program Coordinator, Courtney will serve at the liaison between the volunteers and the schools and Boys & Girls Clubs where they’re involved. She’ll be in charge of successfully onboarding new volunteers by introducing them to the school space, facilitator, students, and STEM programs, and will also head up evaluation procedures and data management.
Courtney was drawn to VISTA service through experiences with community service in college. She spent her freshman year spring break at a Habitat for Humanity build site in Seattle, WA, and, after meeting the HabiCorps member in charge of the site, knew that she wanted to join AmeriCorps after graduation. Adding a second year of VISTA service will allow Courtney to gain additional experience in the area of nonprofit management, which is what she hopes to do in the future. She’ll be starting classes at SPEA at IUPUI in the fall to complete a graduate certificate in nonprofit management (and may eventually consider going for the full MPA!).
Courtney and her finance Mark.
Traveling has added to Courtney’s array of experiences, with opportunities to study abroad in India for a year in high school and then again in Germany for a semester in college. She’s also visited multiple places in Europe and the continental U.S. In her free time, Courtney enjoys cooking, reading, and running, and people are often surprised by her love of country music. She and her fiance recently moved to Broad Ripple and, along with Lady, are taking full advantage of all the area has to offer.
Please help us welcome Courtney to the team – we are so excited to have her with us!