Alabama to receive over $3 Million in AmeriCorps program investments
The Governor’s Office of Volunteer Services has received $3,048,724 in funding to administer eight Alabama AmeriCorps programs for 2017-2018. $1,727,919 in funding comes from the Corporation for National and Community Service, which will be paired with $1,320,805 in local match funds to create the total program investment, Governor Kay Ivey announced Wednesday. “The spirit of volunteerism is one of the ways our country is strong,” Ivey said in a news release. “The Governor’s Office of Volunteer Services provides a strong pathway and support for citizens who want to make a real difference in Alabama through serving in AmeriCorps. This grant funding allows Alabama AmeriCorps members to serve in our local communities.” Established in 1993 as a way for Americans to give intensive service to their communities and country and earn money for college in return, AmeriCorps manages or mobilizes over 2.3 million community volunteers each year, who serve at 21,000 locations nationwide. The AmeriCorps grants support organizations that sponsor national service programs to tackle community needs in education, veterans and military families, economic opportunity, health, environmental stewardship, and disaster services. Grant funding covers some of the cost of operating the program, in addition to a small stipend for the AmeriCorps member, which is matched by the recipient organization. The 2017-2018 Alabama AmeriCorps Organization and State Programs include the following: Butler County School System (AmeriCorps Instructional Support Team) Birmingham City Schools (Birmingham Engaging in STEM AmeriCorps) YWCA Central Alabama (Building Communities, Bettering Lives) City of Selma (Selma AmeriCorps Program) SAFE Family Service Center (Alabama Network of Family Resource Centers AmeriCorps) Teach for America Alabama Alabama Department of Mental Health (ADMG Health Outreach and Opioid Prevention AmeriCorps) Mobile Baykeepers (Mobile Baykeepers AmeriCorps Team) The Governor’s Office of Volunteer Services will provide grants management, oversight, training and technical assistance for these programs. “As the Governor’s lead agency for service and volunteerism in Alabama, we are proud to support these investments in communities across the state,” Governor’s Office of Volunteer Services Coordinator Lisa Castaldo said. “Through volunteering and serving, AmeriCorps members are exposed to community challenges and work to support opportunities for growth.”
John Merrill announces ‘civic engagement and environmental conservation’ events
Robert C. Hatch High School (RHHS) and Francis Marion High School (FMHS), two schools in Alabama’s Black Belt region, will be taking part in the annual Teach for America/Americorps Week with events aimed at “civic engagement and environmental conservation.” According to a press release from the office of Secretary of State John Merrill, “Teach For America-Alabama has become an important partner in the local effort to ensure that every child has access to an excellent and equitable education.” The organization recruits college graduates to teach in rural and urban schools for at least two years to ensure that “all children have an equal chance in life.” Merrill will be the guest speaker in two classrooms at an event March 9 at FMHS and will discuss his role as Secretary of State, lessons learned from his own educational and professional career and the importance of voting and community service. That same day, Black Warrior Riverkeeper Nelson Brooke will address students at RHHS to discuss water pollution and conservation efforts aimed at the Black Warrior River in Perry County. The Riverkeepers are a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the river, which is entirely contained in Alabama.
