(WASHINGTON) -- The Corporation for National and Community Service today announced the renewal of 13 AmeriCorps homeland security grants to support 362 AmeriCorps members serving in public safety, public health, and disaster relief and preparedness projects across the country.

The grants total $3.5 million and will support AmeriCorps projects in 20 states (See list below). The grantees include 12 state or local groups and one national organization, the American Red Cross. Most of the 362 AmeriCorps members supported by the grants will serve for 1,700 hours, earning a living allowance and education award of $4,725 that can be used to pay for college or pay back student loans.

The AmeriCorps homeland security grant program was launched in July of 2002 in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks. President Bush asked AmeriCorps and Senior Corps to devote more resources to homeland security, and the Corporation was the first federal agency to distribute grants after the 9-11 attacks to engage volunteers in homeland security. The grants support AmeriCorps members’ efforts to recruit volunteers; develop disaster response plans; teach disaster preparedness to students; assist firefighting and police operations; train people in first aid and CPR; respond to national and local disasters; and develop partnerships with organizations involved in homeland security such as Citizen Corps councils and Neighborhood Watch Programs.

“The work of securing the homeland can’t be done by government alone. Citizens can and must play an active role,” said Corporation CEO David Eisner. “These AmeriCorps members are making our communities more secure, both through their direct service, and through the tens of thousands of citizens they train and mobilize.”

Results from the first year of the grants include:

• AmeriCorps members serving in a program sponsored by the Florida Department of Elder Affairs have recruited over 600 disaster services volunteers who contributed more than 12,000 hours of service, distributed over 200,000 disaster services publications, and reached nearly 2500 residents with presentations on safety.

• Serving with the Green River Area Development District in rural Kentucky, AmeriCorps members have utilized data from a Global Positioning System to map out information about fire stations, emergency shelters, HAZMAT storage facilities, medical facilities and nursing homes.

• Just blocks from the World Trade Center site, Pace University AmeriCorps members have trained 250 people in English, Chinese, and Spanish in emergency preparedness techniques, created a resource list that consolidates all important emergency numbers, and built a ‘Downtown Needs’ website which serves as a volunteer clearinghouse for 2,000 organizations in the downtown area.

• AmeriCorps members in the California Safe Corps have taught disaster preparedness classes to more than 1,000 community members, recruited more than 100 new volunteers who have provided over 250 hours of service, and assisted more than 200 victims of disasters.

• In Iowa, AmeriCorps members have made presentations on disaster preparedness at 400 schools across the state.

"As Secretary Ridge has said, ‘the homeland will be secure when the hometown is secure.’ These AmeriCorps members are working at the local level to make communities safer and more prepared for any kind of disaster,” said AmeriCorps Director Rosie K. Mauk.

The AmeriCorps grants are part of a larger Homeland Security initiative launched by the Corporation in July 2002. The Corporation awarded $10.3 million in competitive grants to 43 non-profit and public organizations in 26 states and the District of Columbia. These three-year grants engage AmeriCorps members and Senior Corps and other volunteers nationwide in public safety, public health, emergency response and disaster preparedness to make the nation more secure.

The Corporation for National and Community Service has a long history of engaging volunteers in public safety, public health, and disaster relief. For the past nine years, AmeriCorps members and Senior Corps volunteers have worked closely with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the American Red Cross to respond to dozens of federally declared disasters, including providing support to families of the victims of the September 11 attacks.

The Corporation for National and Community Service provides opportunities for Americans of all ages and backgrounds to serve their communities and country through three programs: Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America. Working with national and community nonprofits, faith-based groups, schools, and local agencies, the Corporation engages Americans of all ages and backgrounds in meeting critical needs in education, the environment, public safety, homeland security, and other areas. The Corporation and its programs are part of USA Freedom Corps, a White House initiative to foster a culture of citizenship, service, and responsibility, and to help all Americans answer the President's Call to Service. For more information, visit www.nationalservice.org.

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AmeriCorps Homeland Security
Year 2 Continuation Awards