AmeriCorps Funding Creates More Than 800 Positions in Michigan

Contact: Chawn Greene-Farmer
Director of Communications
(517) 335-7875
greenefarmerc@michigan.com
www.michigan.gov/mcsc

Lansing, MI - The Michigan Community Service Commission (MCSC) today announced 19 organizations will receive $4,817,943 in AmeriCorps funding to place 828 members in communities to help "get things done" across the state of Michigan. 

The 2009-2010 Michigan's AmeriCorps grantees will use the funding to engage members in various service opportunities, including those focused on human needs, education, environment, public safety, and disaster preparedness.  The announced funding for the upcoming program year is in addition to the $2,559,787 in Recovery Act grants 13 organizations received earlier this year to place 289 Michigan's AmeriCorps members. 

"With the announcement of the Recovery Act funding and now the additional 2009-2010 program year funding, AmeriCorps will help address many of the challenges Michigan communities are facing," said Paula Kaiser VanDam, Executive Director of the Michigan Community Service Commission.  "We are excited to place a total of 1,117 Michigan's AmeriCorps members in communities to help address some of their toughest challenges."

The following 19 Michigan's AmeriCorps programs will receive funding for the coming year:

Of the 19 Michigan's AmeriCorps grantees funded for 2009-2010, 17 are veteran programs, while two are brand new.  The Ingham County Health Department's Power of We AmeriCorps program will engage its members in targeted environmental activities to reduce the high rate of chronic disease/conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity for the residents of Lansing, Michigan.  The Literacy Center of West Michigan's Schools of Hope AmeriCorps program will place its members in Grand Rapids-area elementary schools to improve the reading ability of children, increase the capacity of parents to support their children, and enhance the parents' ability to compete more effectively in the workplace.

"We really want to take our Schools of Hope program to the next level," said Susan Ledy, Executive Director of the Literacy Center of West Michigan.  "We will be able to do so by using an AmeriCorps program.  We are looking forward to having committed individuals serve as Michigan's AmeriCorps members and giving back to the community."

For individuals interested in becoming a Michigan's AmeriCorps member in 2009-2010, please visit www.americorps.org.

In a recent report released by the MCSC, 2008 Michigan's AmeriCorps members:

• Completed nearly 600,000 hours of service and training.
• Recruited more than 24,000 volunteers who served more than 165,000 hours.
• Impacted over 160,000 students, citizens, and volunteers.
• Earned $1.61 million in education awards for successfully completing their term of service.

For more information about AmeriCorps or to learn more about specific programs, visit www.michigan.gov/mcsc.

BACKGROUND:

AmeriCorps is commonly described as the "domestic Peace Corps."  Individuals, called members, commit to a specific term of service - usually one year - and are housed in nonprofit organizations, schools, or other agencies.  Individuals must be at least 17 years old to serve in AmeriCorps.  Upon successful completion of their service, members earn an education award to pay for college, graduate school, or to repay qualified student loans.  During their service, members may also be eligible to receive a modest living allowance, health insurance, childcare, and student loan deferment.  Michigan's AmeriCorps, administered by the Michigan Community Service Commission, currently has 19 AmeriCorps programs and more than 1,100 members.

The Michigan Community Service Commission builds a culture of service by providing vision and resources to strengthen communities through volunteerism.  In 2009-2010, the MCSC will grant more than $7.7 million in federal and state funds to local communities for volunteer programs and activities.  The MCSC is funding 19 AmeriCorps programs and 20 Learn and Serve programs.  The Governor's Service Awards, Mentor Michigan, and Michigan's Volunteer Investment Grants are also premier programs of the MCSC.  The MCSC is housed in the Michigan Department of Human Services, whose mission is to assist children, families, and vulnerable adults to be safe, stable, and self-supporting.