History of the Prevention Resource Center and VISTA Accomplishments
History of the Prevention Resource Center VISTA Project
The Prevention Resource Center (PRC) was founded in the summer of 1996 as the working arm for the Interagency Coordinating Council (ICC) for state prevention programs. The VISTA project started alongside the PRC with the intent to implement programs at the community level and to assist in the development of collaborative community prevention councils which will promote social welfare and public health through cooperative programming. The short term goal of the program was to assist in development of the informational and organizational infrastructure to support volunteers and the development of community coalitions.
The first community VISTAs started in early February of 1997. These 14 members were a diverse group, including four Montanans, and coming from as far away as Massachusetts and New York to serve in communities throughout the state (Anaconda, Billings, Dillon, Hamilton, Havre, Helena, Kalispell, etc).
The number of VISTAs on the project fluctuated in the upper-teens, with a jump to 25 VISTAs in the summer of 2001. This prompted bringing on a second VISTA Leader, and with the start of the January 2002 class, the PRC had 31 members serving, the most its had at any point in time.
Notable Accomplishments Since 1997:
- 265 members have served with the PRC for a total of 265 service years at over 130 sites
- VISTAs have mobilized over 14,442 volunteers who have volunteered for almost 206,387 hours
- Over $753,969 of in-kind donations have been generated
- VISTAs have secured over $3.39 million for the communities they serve in
Statistics For Fiscal Year 2007:
| 1st Qtr | 2nd Qtr | 3rd Qtr | 4th Qtr | Totals | |
| Persons Benefited | 2,146 | 7,126 | 4,583 | 1,940 | 15,795 |
| Generated Cash | $5,107.00 | $50,183.00 | $6,844.00 | $16,098.00 | $78,232.00 |
| In-Kind Donations | $6,303 | $27,806.00 | $3,525.00 | $2,030.00 | $39,664.00 |
| Volunteers Recruited | 340 | 2,427 | 237 | 220 | 3,224 |
| Hours of Service | 689.5 | 2,139 | 557.25 | 1,608.25 | 4,994 |
| Cooperative Partnership | 89 | 119 | 117 | 40 | 365 |
| Public Appearances | 100 | 168 | 231 | 83 | 582 |
| Technical Assitance/training other orgs | 11 | 13 | 19 | 30 | 73 |
| Technical Assistance/Training to Staff | 14 | 10 | 69 | 4 | 97 |
| Computer Systems | 7 | 5 | 15 | 7 | 34 |
| PR Activities | 134 | 123 | 125 | 47 | 429 |
| PR Campaigns Developed | 31 | 42 | 54 | 23 | 150 |
| Hours spent record keeping/admin | 1,113 | 1,618 | 908 | 1,005 | 4,644 |
