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Ashlee L. Davis
ashlee.vistajc@gmail.com
Previous Education and Experience:
I graduated from the University of Iowa with a B.A. in Anthropology and 
minors in International Studies and Art History.
I have volunteered for HACAP Head Start, Table-to-Table, and the Johnson County Historical Society. All are in Iowa City, IA.
My greatest strength as a VISTA is: As a VISTA, I think you have to be goal-oriented. I have four large, overreaching goals that I want to achieve by July 2010. Little by little, I am accomplishing small tasks that get me closer to realizing these goals. Being flexible is very important as well. I have tried a lot of different ways of recruiting mentors and many times I haven’t seen any results. I am now going out of my comfort zone to attract mentors. I have to be willing to meet with groups and talk in front of people, which I have always been apprehensive about.
My greatest accomplishment as a VISTA: As a Volunteer Coordinator the most important task I can accomplish is bringing volunteer mentors to the programs offered by CCIA and Department of Corrections. My greatest accomplishment was getting my first church group interested in the adult mentoring programs, in Johnson County. Now, the church’s women’s group is going to start a “Circle of Support and Accountability” with a female adult offender.
My projects: 1. I am the Volunteer Coordinator for Restorative Justice Mentoring Programs in Linn County. There are three mentoring programs offered by CCIA. -“1:1 Mentoring” and “Circles of Support and Accountability” for adult offenders re-entering the community -“Children of Promise” for children who have a parent incarcerated or on parole or probation I want to provide the programs with a website, youth and adult advisory boards, and a database of community contacts for volunteers, space, and money. 2. Grant Writing: I have had the chance to work on a Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation grant for “Children of Promise.” I hope to work on more grants in the future.
I build capacity by creating materials and hopefully a website that will last long after I have left this position. I also hope to bring in mentors that will stay with the mentoring programs beyond the required year.
Fun fact about me: I am a Roger Federer Fanatic!