Graceland University President John Sellars has been notified that a regional AmeriCorps grant administered by Graceland has been funded for the coming year with $145,612 from the Corporation for National and Community Service. The grant funds 24 AmeriCorps members who will support youth development programs in six counties across southern Iowa: Wayne, Decatur, Ringgold, Union, Clarke and Lucas.
The AmeriCorps funds will be matched by $121,000 from the Dekko Foundation, as they were last year. Co-directors of the Graceland program are Shirley Kessel and Jodi Haley.
The organizations receiving funding were selected in a highly competitive process. The funding is for the first of a three-year grant cycle. On a national level, AmeriCorps will support nearly 75,000 positions through regular 2009 funding, plus an additional 13,000 positions funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Most positions will start in the summer and fall.
Iowa officials informed Graceland of the award, with the additional good news that national reviewers were very impressed with the model Graceland used in coordinating activities throughout the region. Graceland provides the administrative oversight but allows a coalition of youth groups in each of the counties to develop job descriptions and supervise the work of AmeriCorps members working there.
Last year, AmeriCorps workers assisted with tutoring, before-and-after-school programs, library reading programs, music lessons for underprivileged youth, "Lunch Buddies" summer day camps, youth projects in philanthropy and a diverse list of other youth efforts.
AmeriCorps is a national service program that engages Americans of all ages and backgrounds in service to meet critical needs in education, the environment, public safety, and other areas. Its members serve in thousands of nonprofit and faith-based organizations in rural and urban communities throughout the nation. Among other activities, AmeriCorps members mentor youth, build affordable housing, teach computer skills, clean parks and streams, help communities respond to disasters and recruit and train volunteers. Since 1994, more than 574,000 men and women have provided more than 718 million hours of service to their communities and country through AmeriCorps.
Last month President Barack Obama signed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, landmark legislation that will increase opportunities for Americans of all ages to serve, put AmeriCorps on a path to grow from 75,000 to 250,000 annual positions by the year 2017, and strengthen social innovation and volunteer generation in America's nonprofit sector.
AmeriCorps is recruiting now. Applicants can choose from a wide variety of positions across the nation. Benefits can include a living allowance, health care, training and career skills, and a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award worth up to $4,725 to pay for college or to pay off student loans. Interested individuals can learn about available opportunities and apply online by visiting www.AmeriCorps.gov.
