Sarah's Story
Every VISTA has a unique story behind their
decision to serve a year (or two, or three). Our fearless VISTA Leader Sarah
Masotta shares her path to service below.
In 2011, I was a University of Connecticut Honors Congressional Intern
recipient and interned full-time for six months within Connecticut House
Representative Rosa DeLauro’s Washington, DC office. I assisted staff to
provide constituent services, coordinated Rosa’s in-home public policy dinners,
summarized congressional hearings, and secured co-sponsors for the Paycheck
Fairness Act. |
| Sarah Masotta with VISTA Member, Aidan Wildes, at our November service project. |
During my internship, Rosa advocated for protecting Pell
Grant funding to support low-income student academic achievement.
Education is a pathway out of poverty. As a
recipient of Pell Grants myself, I was able to mitigate some of my student
loans and complete my studies at the University of Connecticut. I thank
Representative Rosa DeLauro for advocating for policies that support college
access and perseverance. I am grateful for your service to Connecticut.
Through my work with PAVE New Haven, I address the effects
on poverty on education through capacity building within the community. I
began my AmeriCorps service in 2013 at Dwight Hall at Yale – the independent
nonprofit center for social justice. There I wrote grants, fundraised,
and cultivated donors to support the education services coordinated by Dwight
Hall staff and Yale students in the community. Dwight Hall has 23
educational programs that focus on increasing student literacy, expanding
college access, and providing wraparound service for students.
Currently I serve out of the Agency on Aging of South
Central Connecticut as an AmeriCorps VISTA Leader with PAVE New Haven. I
recruit, train, and support a cohort of 16 VISTA members that are placed in 7
local nonprofits and 11 New Haven Public Schools collaborating to foster the
success of New Haven children and families.
I am grateful for the opportunities I had through the
University of Connecticut in awarding me an internship within Rosa’s
office. Her passion for creating public policy that improves the quality
of life for all Americans encouraged me to
serve my community’s educational needs through AmeriCorps.
Budget Recipe: Chicken Piccata
Chicken Piccata
Ingredients
2 whole boneless,
skinless chicken breasts (1 1/2 lb.), rinsed, patted dry
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3
tablespoons unsalted butter
2
tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup lemon
juice
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken
broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
 |
| Chicken Piccata! |
Preparation
Place
chicken between 2 sheets of waxed paper and pound until thin. Sprinkle chicken
with salt and pepper and dredge in flour.
Heat 1 Tbsp. butter and 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until butter foams. Add 2 chicken breast halves and cook without moving until browned, 3 minutes. Turn and cook until firm and browned on both sides, 3 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.
Add 1 Tbsp. butter and remaining 1 Tbsp. oil to skillet; cook remaining chicken breast halves. Transfer to plate and cover to keep warm.
Add lemon juice and broth to skillet and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. Boil, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add remaining 1 Tbsp. butter and parsley and stir until butter melts. Season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken and serve immediately.
Heat 1 Tbsp. butter and 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until butter foams. Add 2 chicken breast halves and cook without moving until browned, 3 minutes. Turn and cook until firm and browned on both sides, 3 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.
Add 1 Tbsp. butter and remaining 1 Tbsp. oil to skillet; cook remaining chicken breast halves. Transfer to plate and cover to keep warm.
Add lemon juice and broth to skillet and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. Boil, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add remaining 1 Tbsp. butter and parsley and stir until butter melts. Season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken and serve immediately.
4
Servings
-Contributed by Natalie Bachinelo
Status Update: Literacy
In just 3 month our VISTAs collected over 37,000 books to distribute to the New Haven community! This info-graphic tracks our progress this quarter towards increasing literacy among New haven children.
Moment of impact: Terry Dzilenski
It
is always thrilling when a VISTA gets a chance to see the impact of their work.
Terry Dzilenski helps plan and coordinate NeighborWorks New Horizon’s
afterschool program for residents. During program recruitment she met a family
that reminded her of the value of New Horizon’s program.
 |
| Terry working with a child at her site. |
To
kick off after-school recruitment, I created and hand-delivered information
packets to over 70 potential student participants. It was a challenge to find
the addresses and, at times, I felt my presence was unwelcome. By the end of
the day, I was exhausted, but finally down to my last packet. I approached a
house where a mother and 2 daughters were leaving and asked if this was the
address I was looking for. When she replied that it was, I told her about NeighborWorks
New Horizon’s free program. She explained that she is a single-mother who
emigrated from Iraq. Her mother and family are still there trying to get out,
and she is tired and overwhelmed. She
looked at me and then she looked at the sky and said, “God must have sent you
because I had been praying for some kind of help for my daughters.” She
explained that she works and is in school herself, and doesn’t always have the
opportunity to help them with their homework. I told her I wasn't sure that God sent
me, but NeighborWorks New Horizons had, and we would love to enroll her
daughters. She cried, and I hugged her and told her everything would be
okay.
 |
| The VISTAs at a service project in November. Terry is the leftmost VISTA on the bottom row. |
I
learned that many refugees, particularly those from Iraq, are frightened,
panicked and socially isolated. They need kindness, compassion, and information
about our systems and services. I did not realize I would be providing this
kind of help before I became a VISTA member—but I couldn’t be more glad that I
am.
Status update: Wraparound Services
One of the three planks of our project mission is to increase access to quality wraparound services for New Haven children. Here is what we have done this quarter to achieve that goal:
Budget Recipe of the Season
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By Emily Siefken
 |
| My inspiration |
Layer
in the jar:
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup cocoa (Dutch-process preferred)
2 1/2 cups powdered milk
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup crushed peppermint sticks
1 cup marshmallows
When you make a cup of cocoa:
Mix all the ingredients together, and add a scoop of cocoa mix to a mug of hot water or milk.
1 cup cocoa (Dutch-process preferred)
2 1/2 cups powdered milk
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup crushed peppermint sticks
1 cup marshmallows
When you make a cup of cocoa:
Mix all the ingredients together, and add a scoop of cocoa mix to a mug of hot water or milk.
Makes 10 cups of cocoa!
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