This year more than 2000 AmeriCorps volunteers are serving in 450 locations across Vermont. During a conference call this week, Vermont’s Congressional delegation announced that the state will receive $2.1 million dollars in AmeriCorps funding.
The Corporation for National and Community Service is the federal agency that administers AmeriCorps, which places adults in intensive community service positions around the country. CEO Wendy Spencer says the strong support from Vermont’s congressional delegation helped result in the highest appropriation to AmeriCorps in its history. “You weighed in on why national service is important. Our agency administers grants to AmeriCorps and we work with 52 governors’ commissions on volunteerism across the nation. Now just in Vermont there are over 2,400 AmeriCorps members and SeniorCorps volunteers serving in 450 locations. So we have a strong national service presence. There’s so much great work in Vermont going on.”
Vermont Congressman Peter Welch says the new the federal investment for the Green Mountain State includes three grants totaling $1 million, supporting 86 AmeriCorps members. “These organizations are going to be getting these grants: Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation. That’s going to support 24 AmeriCorps members who will implement the strategies we're developing to improve water quality in Lake Champlain and its watershed. The Vermont Housing and Conservation Board. That will be to engage 36 AmeriCorps members in delivering affordable housing and environmental stewardship and education services through 30 non-profits across the state. And then the Washington County Youth Services Bureau Boys and Girls Club. Twenty-six AmeriCorps members are going to be providing services to veterans and military families and implement initiatives to prevent childhood obesity.”
Kate Ash, an aide to Senator Patrick Leahy, noted that her boss has long supported AmeriCorps. She says the funding announcement takes to heart the values that are of priority to both the Senator and Vermonters. “The programs that we're awarding these competitive grants to are addressing some of the items you see in our headlines no matter where you travel, including cleaning up our great Lake Champlain and meeting the nutrition needs of low income families. You know our goal in Congress of course is to always be working together to enable our partners to work more effectively together. So it's really inspiring to see how today's funding from the corporation is supporting new collaboration's.”
SerVermont coordinates and monitors AmeriCorps programs in the state. Executive Director Philip Kolling praised the delegation for its support and is thrilled to accept the grant funds. “The grants that we’re announcing today are for three incredibly strong programs and we're thrilled at the news of their funding. These programs have a track record of high performance and are tackling some of the most pressing issues we face while providing a wonderful AmeriCorps member experience. So we're very excited to have these grants and we’re excited to see an all time high presence of AmeriCorps members in Vermont.”
Spencer notes that while the federal appropriation was $1.1 billion, the CNCS hit another milestone. “For the first time in our agency’s history we've been able to document that the local support, the match and additional resources raised to support national service has exceeded the federal appropriations. Nationwide the match and resources are $1.26 billion dollars. And that is really phenomenal. It says a lot about our grants. It says a lot about national service in general that local communities want these grants and they want to support them.”
The 2016 competition for the grants prioritized projects in economic opportunity, education, veterans and military families, and disaster services.
