FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, February 16, 2004
|
Corporation for National and Community Service
CONTACT: Sandy Scott
202-606-5000 x255
sscott@cns.gov |
360 AmeriCorps Members to Serve in Homeland Security Projects |
|
(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.
###
AmeriCorps Homeland Security
Year 2 Continuation Awards
State |
City |
Program |
Amount |
AmeriCorps Members |
California |
Los Angeles |
American Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles |
$349,011 |
24 |
District of Columbia |
District of Columbia |
American Red Cross, National Capital Chapter |
$99,172 |
8 |
Florida |
Tallahassee |
Florida Department of Elder Affairs |
$247,531 |
20 |
Iowa |
Des Moines,operating statewide |
American Red Cross, Central Iowa Chapter |
$131,273 |
14 |
Kentucky |
Owensboro |
Green River Area Development District |
$128,000 |
10 |
Maryland |
Baltimore |
Civic Works |
$168,356 |
20 |
New Jersey |
Statewide |
New Jersey Department of State |
$255,983 |
28 |
New York |
New York City |
Fund for the City of New York |
$500,000 |
40 |
New York |
New York City |
Pace University |
$230,396 |
28 |
New York |
New York City |
The Valley, Inc. |
$254,995 |
30 |
New York |
Statewide |
New York State Corps Collaboration |
$460,800 |
36 |
South Carolina |
Statewide |
South Carolina Military Department |
$297,476 |
74 |
National |
23 cities in FL, GA, IN, KS, MA, MO, MS, NC, OH, TX, VA, and WV |
American National Red Cross |
$384,000 |
30 |
TOTAL |
|
|
$3,506,993 |
362 |
|
|