Hunter LeClair was Bay Aging’s first AmeriCorps VISTA member in 2016. The focus of her VISTA project was to build capacity of the Northern Neck Middle Peninsula Housing Coalition, the region’s homeless response system recognized by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. Projects focused on grant research, policy creation, and data analysis. While Bay Aging held the role of Lead Agency for this coalition, Bay Aging did not directly administer any homeless services. Post-service, Hunter was hired full-time as Program Manager and continued to pursue ways that Bay Aging could directly participate in functionally ending homelessness in the region.

“The environment at Bay Aging is diverse in its talent and scope of services,” says LeClair. “During my VISTA year, I was able to learn more about Bay Aging’s mission and history. I felt fully embedded in the organization and couldn’t fathom this relationship ending after just one year. I took full advantage of the professional opportunities that Bay Aging’s leadership made available to me—and I believe it set me up for future success. I networked with as many community partners as possible with the goal of increasing my post-service career pursuits, but the year that I spent at Bay Aging made it feel like home.” Eight years later, Hunter is employed at Bay Aging and has continued to play a vital role in supervising the AmeriCorps VISTA program at Bay Aging.