Additional AmeriCorps Funding Creates Opportunity for 185 More Individuals to Serve in Michigan

Contact: Elyse V. Walter
(517) 241-0063

The Michigan Community Service Commission (MCSC) today announced they've received an additional $1,059,465 in AmeriCorps supplemental funding to place an extra 185 members in communities to help "get things done" across the state of Michigan.

The supplemental funds, made available by the Corporation for National and Community Service, brings the MCSC's 2010-2011 AmeriCorps funding total to $7,982,247, member total to 1,211, and grantee total to 26. Six current grantees and one brand new grantee will benefit from the extra positions. Grantees will use the funding to engage members in various service opportunities, including those focused on human needs, education, environment, public safety, health, and disaster preparedness. Members serve for one year and receive a small living stipend, and, upon successful completion of their term of service, an education award.   

"The additional funding we have received from the Corporation for National and Community Service strengthens the impact AmeriCorps will continue to have on communities across Michigan," said Paula Kaiser VanDam, Executive Director of the Michigan Community Service Commission. "Several grantees will be able to tackle additional critical challenges thanks to the allotment of these extra members."

Michigan's AmeriCorps addresses some of our state's biggest challenges. It creates a pathway to employment by providing individuals with opportunities to gain valuable job skills, retrain for new careers, and the ability to stay in their home community.Research has shown that after one year of AmeriCorps service, members are more likely to stay in the community they served, pursue careers in the nonprofit and public sector, and continue to be civically involved. AmeriCorps also helps make college and higher education more affordable. The 1,211 AmeriCorps members will earn more than $2 million in education awards to pay for college or repay student loans.  

The following seven Michigan's AmeriCorps programs will receive additional supplemental funding and members for the 2010-2011 program year as a result of these funds:

The newest Michigan's AmeriCorps program, which joins due to this additional funding, is the Vanguard Community Development Corporation's Next Steps Community Reintegration Program. This program will recruit and train 20 ex-offenders to become 80 quarter-time AmeriCorps members. They will in turn recruit, train, and manage teams of community volunteers that will address community needs such as: boarding up vacant houses; cleaning up vacant lots; developing community gardens and pocket parks; organizing neighborhood watches to address issues of illegal dumping, arson, and crime; conducting door-to-door community outreach to link residents with community services; conducting "healthy home assessments" to educate residents about potential home hazards; conducting minor home repair for seniors; and assisting in the establishment and implementation of a Food Pantry.

For individuals interested in serving in a Michigan's AmeriCorps program in 2010-2011, please visit www.americorps.gov.

In a recent report released by the MCSC, 2009-2010 Michigan's AmeriCorps members:

• Will have completed more than 600,000 hours of service and training.
• Recruited more than 24,000 volunteers who contribute more than 144,000 hours of service.
• Earned more than $2.5 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 26 AmeriCorps programs and more than 1,200 members.

The Michigan Community Service Commission builds a culture of service by providing vision and resources to strengthen communities through volunteerism. In 2010-2011, the MCSC is granting nearly $9 million in federal funds to local communities for volunteer programs and activities. The MCSC is funding 26 AmeriCorps programs, 25 Learn and Serve programs, and seven Volunteer Michigan grantees. The Governor's Service Awards and Mentor Michigan 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. The Corporation for National and Community Service grants the federal funding the MCSC administers.