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Oregon Benefits From AmeriCorps Expansion
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Lise Harwin
 
June 8, 2009
PORTLAND, Ore. – Starting this summer, Oregon will benefit from the hard work and dedication of 51 new AmeriCorps members, positions made possible by a grant of $600,522 from the Corporation for National and Community Service. The grant, awarded to the Oregon Trail Chapter of the American Red Cross, will expand the Oregon State Service Corps: a state-wide AmeriCorps program that addresses significant issues in the areas of education, disaster preparedness, public safety, health and other human needs.

In addition to the operating grant, the Oregon State Service Corps received additional funding to launch a one-year AmeriCorps program -- the Oregon Community Action Corps. This new program, a partnership with the Community Action Partnership of Oregon, will place 24 AmeriCorps members with agencies around the state to address issues related to the current economic crisis: housing assistance and rehab, healthcare access, employment and skills training, financial literacy, food security and volunteer generation. Funding for the program includes a $317,815 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service; a $45,000 grant from the Oregon Community Foundation; and support from the Oregon Department of Housing and Community Services.

"We are thrilled to be selected for these grants and eager to start getting things done," said Maree Wacker, Chief Executive Officer for the Oregon Trail Chapter. "In this time of economic hardship, service and volunteering is more important than ever. These AmeriCorps members and the volunteers they mobilize will help us expand our reach and impact."

The organizations receiving funding were selected in a highly competitive process. The funding is for the first year 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.

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 tutor and mentor youth, build affordable housing, teach computer skills, clean parks and streams, run after-school programs, 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 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.

The Oregon State Service Corps is currently recruiting and applicants can choose from a wide variety of positions across the state. Benefits for full-time members include a living allowance, health care, training and career skills and a $4,725 education award to pay for college or to pay off student loans. Interested individuals can learn about open positions by visiting www.oregonredcross.org/ossc. Information on opportunities through other AmeriCorps programs can be found by visiting www.AmeriCorps.gov.

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In Oregon, the American Red Cross shelters, feeds and counsels victims of disaster every eight hours; provides more than 90 percent of the blood used by Oregon patients; teaches thousands of Oregonians lifesaving skills; provides transportation to seniors and the disabled; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization – not a government agency – and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its humanitarian mission. For more information, please visit www.oregonredcross.org or join the conversation on our award-winning blog at www.oregonredcross.org/blog.