Meet Danielle and Brittnee!
We would like to introduce the newest members to our Team and new members in the community, AmeriCorps VISTAs Danielle Shilling and Brittnee Coiner. They have joined our team to start building capacity for the Early Childhood Development Program and The Youth Internship Program. The AmeriCorps VISTA program is a federal service program that focuses on Urban or rural areas that have a need for support and program development. This program builds capacity in communities to help bring people together around long-term sustainable goals.
Danielle Shilling is a 23-year-old from the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She studied education at Seton Hill University and graduated with her masters in December 2017. To be involved with service after college, has been a dream of hers for as long as she can remember. Therefore, she is so excited to finally be serving with AmeriCorps VISTA and the Red Lodge Area Community Foundation. During her time here, she will be advancing the youth summer paid internship project originally developed by Brooke Klaess, a previous VISTA member. She will be working with students from Red Lodge High School to help them discover their passions and connect them with local businesses and organizations that can help them pursue their interests and possibly even form careers! Internships improve students’ chances of successful employment and provide focused and structured learning. They will offer opportunities for youth to observe and gain hands-on experience and introduce them to the world after high school.
Brittnee Coiner is a 25-year-old college graduate from the University of New Mexico with a B.A. in Psychology and Minor in Speech Therapy. She is originally from a small farm town north of Amarillo, Texas. She enjoys outdoor activities, dancing, baking and playing with her cat Bubba. She is the Increasing Early Childhood Education AmeriCorps VISTA and will be working with Debbie Brewer throughout the coming year. Brittnee’s project for the year will focus on implementing the Imagination Library, and helping to increase early childhood education by implementing school readiness programs.
We know that you will give them a warm Red Lodge welcome and will help connect them to the community they serve.