Hartwell Brooks 

Hartwell Brooks served as a VISTA member in North West Georgia during the 2010-2011 service term. Now, he has moved to Atlanta and will be serving as the new VISTA Leader for the Georgia Commission VISTA Project. In his spare time, Hartwell enjoys writing, reading, travelling, culture, art, current events, and exercise. However, as a VISTA, he hopes to better his professional skills while enabling the other VISTA members to reach their maximum potential, by supporting them during their year of service.

Hartwell’s other focus is to provide certifiable results, so that the Georgia Commission VISTA project will not only positively impact the communities throughout Georgia, but will also reflect positively on the Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism, the Department of Community Affairs, and AmeriCorps VISTA programs nationwide.

“I want to be able to say that I am doing everything I can to be a vital part of the community, by leaving behind a legacy of service,” Hartwell says. “I want to continually learn and expand my horizons.”

Shanice Brooks

Shanice Brooks is a returning VISTA, choosing again to serve the region of her hometown, Camilla, Georgia. Her interests include giving back to others, reading, writing, and volunteering. Shanice is also attending Albany State University as a Criminal Justice Major.

During her year as a VISTA, Shanice hopes to continue to learn more about non-profits and ways expand their demographic area. Specifically, she hopes to help organizations get more involved in volunteerism, education, and mentoring. After her time as a VISTA, Shanice hopes to start her own non-profit organization.

Jacqueline Elder Wright

Jacqueline Wright was born in Athens, Georgia, and raised in Decatur, Georgia. Her interests are serving in the community, healthy eating, reading, art, sewing, and decorating. She plans to write a book and do research on healthy living for seniors citizens, single parents, and children, in an effort to bring national awareness to the community

During her year of service as a VISTA, Jackie plans to become more involved in the goals and objectives of the Atlanta Regional Commission, with which she has already been volunteering. Jackie also wants to research the overall impact being made by the VISTAs who serve their communities despite the troubled economy. She plans to partner with other 501c3 organizations and to develop a major project to alleviate the poverty of many working class citizens.

Emily Sparks

Emily Sparks is from Warren, Ohio. Her interests include baking, running, biking, and tennis. Some of her many goals include becoming a better public speaker, making a difference in others’ lives, and helping to improve the Athens region and surrounding areas of Georgia.

During her year of service, Emily hopes to find ways to help the lives of those in poverty. She also hopes to find the most productive methods to reach out to non-profits, recruiting volunteers, and retaining volunteers.

Tori Raines

Tori Raines is from Brunswick, Georgia, and will be serving in the coastal Georgia region during her year of service as a VISTA. While she enjoys music, movies, and sociology in her spare time, as a VISTA she hopes to become a better public speaker, learn new skills, and build professional relationships.

Tori also hopes to learn how to best recruit, train, and maintain volunteers, and to gain more experience in the non-profit sector. She hopes that her time as a VISTA will teach her more about the needs that need to be met in the Brunswick/ Coastal Region.

Harrison Mitchell

Hary Mitchell is from Douglas County, Georgia, and is serving as a VISTA member in Atlanta. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, writing music, the great outdoors, and volunteering online through the UN Volunteers Program.

During his year as a VISTA, Hary hopes to learn the intricacies of the Atlanta non-profit sector, in order to maximize his time serving the communities of Atlanta and the metro regions. Specifically, he is interested in promoting healthy lifestyles for low-income families. To achieve this, Hary hopes to partner with organizations active in community gardens and school gardens, particularly in urban areas.

Rotana Williams

Rotana Williams was born in San Diego, California, and raised in Jonesboro, Georgia. Her main interests are dancing, reading, and public policy. While serving as a VISTA, Rotana also hopes to finish her masters in Psychology (emphasis in Public Administration and Social Change) and to become an advocate for underrepresented communities and networks.

During her year of service, Rotana hopes to focus on accomplishing the heavy task of helping individuals and communities overcome poverty, through long-term solutions rather than through short-term services.