{"id":70327,"date":"2016-05-26T08:32:00","date_gmt":"2016-05-26T13:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.deltastate.edu\/news-and-events\/?p=70327"},"modified":"2016-05-26T08:32:00","modified_gmt":"2016-05-26T13:32:00","slug":"delta-center-hosts-mississippi-commission-for-volunteer-services-at-delta-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.deltastate.edu\/news-and-events\/2016\/05\/delta-center-hosts-mississippi-commission-for-volunteer-services-at-delta-state\/","title":{"rendered":"Delta Center hosts Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Services at Delta State"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Delta Center for Culture and Learning recently hosted the Board of Commissioners of Volunteer Mississippi, also known as the Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Services. Volunteer Mississippi\u2019s mission is to engage and support Mississippians of all ages and backgrounds in service to their communities.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to David Mallery, executive director of Volunteer Mississippi, this is the first time in his eight-year tenure that the Board of Commissioners has met in a Mississippi Delta community.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are very impressed with the facilities at Delta State and the professionalism and hospitality that we have experienced here on campus and in the Cleveland community,\u201d said Mallery. \u201cWe look forward to more opportunities to connect the Board of Commissioners and Volunteer Mississippi with organizations in the Delta. We appreciate The Delta Center for welcoming us to the region.\u201d<\/p>\n

Volunteer Mississippi commissioners and staff members from around the state traveled to Cleveland for the two-day meeting experience. The group\u2019s various points of origin included municipalities as far east as Columbus and as far south as Gulfport and Bay St. Louis.<\/p>\n

The meeting took place at Delta State\u2019s Alumni House. Dr. Rolando Herts provided an overview of The Delta Center\u2019s signature partnership programs including the National Endowment for the Humanities \u201cMost Southern Place on Earth\u201d workshop, the International Delta Blues Project, and the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area. Linda Stringfellow also was invited to present on the Mississippi Delta Service Corps, an Americorps VISTA program based at Delta State’s Center for Community and Economic Development.<\/p>\n

\u201cMarian Wright Edelman, founder of the Children\u2019s Defense Fund, is quoted as saying, \u2018Service is the rent we pay for living,\u2019\u201d said Herts. \u201cLife for so many Delta residents is economically and socially challenged. Many of these challenges are tied to the Delta\u2019s culture and history. The Delta Center\u2019s programming offers ways for residents and visitors not only to understand our culture and history better, but also to discover ways to become engaged in creating change for the better. We look forward to exploring such opportunities with Volunteer Mississippi.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Richard Conville, board chair of the commission, echoed Herts\u2019 comments about how understanding local culture enhances community service.<\/p>\n

\u201cVolunteer Mississippi has a strong presence in Delta communities through the Mississippi National Service Network, which includes Americorps, Senior Corps and VISTA,\u201d said Conville. \u201cIt makes sense for our Board of Commissioners to have more regular meetings in the Delta so that we can learn more firsthand about the culture of the communities that we are serving. The Delta Center has helped us to begin this process.\u201d<\/p>\n

During their stay, the group also toured GRAMMY Museum\u00ae Mississippi, learning about the museum\u2019s community volunteer docent program. Afterwards, they dined on authentic Delta barbecue and catfish at Airport Grocery and stayed overnight at a local hotel.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone here has been so welcoming,\u201d said commissioner Janis Lane from Byram.\u00a0\u201cI will definitely encourage my family and friends to visit the Delta.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Herts told us about the GRAMMY\u2019s Top 40 Places to Visit in the Delta website,\u201d said commissioner Roktabija Abdul-Azeez from Jackson. \u201cNow that I know about it, I will be using it to plan my next trip to the Delta.\u201d<\/p>\n

Established in 1994 as the Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Service, Volunteer Mississippi has worked to encourage a culture of citizenship, service and responsibility to America. In partnership with the Corporation for National and Community Service, Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning, Mississippi Department of Education, Mississippi Center for Nonprofits, and faith-based and community organizations statewide, Volunteer Mississippi fosters community engagement and building volunteer capacity throughout the state.<\/p>\n

The mission of The Delta Center is to promote greater understanding of Mississippi Delta culture and history and its significance to the world through education, partnerships and community engagement. The center serves as the management entity of the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area and is the home of the National Endowment for the Humanities \u201cMost Southern Place on Earth\u201d workshop and the International Delta Blues Project.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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