Washington, D.C. - The Corporation for National and Community Service today announced grants totaling more than $600,000 to help 25 Senior Corps programs expand their volunteer forces. The grants will support more at least 400 new volunteers in 20 states serving in the RSVP and Foster Grandparent programs.

Volunteers will carry out a wide range of projects, including caring for the frail elderly, tutoring and mentoring children with special needs, helping communities prepare for disasters, and mentoring children of incarcerated parents. More than 150 organizations applied for the “Programs of National Significance” grants, which were evaluated by Corporation staff and outside reviewers. Click here to read the full list of grants.

“People age 55 and over have so much to offer, and we want them to put their skills and experiences to good use in tackling serious social problems in their communities," said David Eisner, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, which oversees Senior Corps. “These grants will help existing Senior Corps projects increase their reach and effectiveness in meeting local needs.”

Senior Corps engages more than half a million Americans age 55 and over to meet community needs in education, the environment, public safety, homeland security, and other areas. As part of his call to service, President Bush has challenged Senior Corps to recruit 100,000 new volunteers.

“We welcome the increasing number of volunteers that these grants will support,” said Tess Scannell, director of Senior Corps. “As baby boomers enter their retirement years, Senior Corps provides a wealth of opportunities for them to continue their involvement in their communities, addressing issues of crucial importance to our nation’s future.”

Examples of the grants include:

• Seniors in Service of Tampa Bay will place 13 Foster Grandparents in two elementary schools in Tampa, Fla., an in one school for adjudicated boys ages 9 to 13 located in Hillsborough County for daily, one-on-one mentoring/literacy work. Special attention will be taken at each site to ensure that the FGP volunteers will work primarily with children of incarcerated parents and children in the foster care system.
  

• Good Connections, Inc., a program of the Boone County, Iowa, RSVP, will recruit and assign 60 new RSVP volunteers, with 21 serving in the Caregiver Respite Program. The overall goal of the program is to help reduce stress and strain often experienced by caregivers for the elderly. To this end 15 RSVP Volunteers will provide up to 1,560 hours of respite service and another 6 volunteers will offer yard care and maintenance service to assist caregivers unable to care for their yards. Another 39 volunteers will be assigned to the Lincoln Way Red Cross Chapter serving Boone and Green Counties to carry out disaster preparation and relief projects.
  

• Land of the Sky Council will train and prepare 40 volunteers as support teams for natural disasters in a geographic area that includes rural areas and five North Carolina cities that were affected by hurricanes Ivan and Frances in 2004. Those natural disasters showed that older Americans in the area were generally unprepared for natural disasters. Efforts are underway to target rural populations and underserved populations such as Hispanic, European, and Slovak neighborhoods.

Senior Corps consists of three programs: RSVP, Foster Grandparents, and Senior Companions. The Foster Grandparent Program is for people 60 and over, whose incomes are limited, to serve as extended family members to children and youth with exceptional needs. The Senior Companion Program, also for people 60 and over whose incomes are limited, provides assistance and friendship to adults who have difficulty with daily living tasks. RSVP volunteers may receive reimbursement for meals and transportation, while Foster Grandparents and Senior Companions receive a modest stipend for 20 hours of service per week.

In addition to Senior Corps, the Corporation for National and Community Services also administers Learn and Serve America and AmeriCorps. Together with USA Freedom Corps, the Corporation for National and Community Service is working to build a culture of citizenship, service, and responsibility in America. The Corporation’s other programs include AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America. For further information, visit www.nationalservice.gov.

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