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(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Learn and Serve America announced today that it will award $520,000 in new grants to support and expand ongoing hurricane relief and recovery efforts by students and school groups in the Gulf Coast.
“College students and other young people, especially those living or studying in the Gulf region, have a tremendous amount to give to the rebuilding effort, and their idealism and energy is needed,” said David Eisner, CEO of the Corporation for National Service, which administers the Learn and Serve America program. “These grants will help our nation recover from one of the most devastating disasters in our history.”
The grants, which range in size from $49,000 to $111,000, will go to six current Learn and Serve grantees and will support a variety of activities, from enabling K-12 students to help rebuild their schools to helping historically black universities severely impacted by storm. The six grantees are: the University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg); the Mississippi Commission on Volunteer Service (Jackson); the Mississippi Department of Education (Jackson); the Institute for Global Education and Service-Learning (Levittown, Pa.); Campus Compact of Brown University (Providence, R.I.); and the United Negro College Fund Special Programs (Fairfax, Va.).
"Learn and Serve grantees are playing an important role in engaging students, including many in the storm-affected region, in helping residents and community institution rebuild in the aftermath of this unprecedented disaster,” said Amy Cohen, director of Learn and Serve America. “We know that the rebuilding effort will take many years, and we will do all we can to provide assistance over the long haul.”
A list of grantees, the grant amount awarded, and the purpose for which it is to be used follows:
- Campus Compact ($90,000)
Campus Compact’s national office, headquartered at Brown University, is working closely with Louisiana Campus Compact and local agencies to address the needs of hard hit higher education institutions in Louisiana. Colleges and universities in Louisiana will use the grant to meet their own needs and the needs of communities surrounding their campuses. Services will include: building restoration, distribution of supplies, tutorial services, health care assistance, assistance with locating or providing temporary housing, and testing for water quality and other environmental effects.
- United Negro College Fund Special Programs ($90,000)
This grant will allow the program to continue to support Historically Black Colleges and Universities in New Orleans, including Xavier and Dillard, that were hit hard by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Subgrants to both Dillard and Xavier will support volunteer matching and support efforts on each campus, including the development of three Centers for Community Engagement to function as coordinators for students, faculty, community residents, leaders, and community-based organizations in three New Orleans neighborhoods.
- University of Southern Mississippi ($90,000)
This grant will support the recovery efforts of subgrantee members of the Mississippi Higher Education Consortium. Service fellowships will be granted to college groups, community and faith-based groups, and K-12 groups to support service efforts in hurricane-impacted areas. Mini-grants will be provided specifically to vocational-technical departments from community and four-year colleges to use their students’ expertise in masonry, carpentry, electrical, and plumbing work to rebuild hurricane-affected areas.
- Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Service ($49,000)
This grant will support summer programming, including youth summer day camps that will engage young people in the Gulf Coast region in service-learning projects related to hurricane recovery. The projects include capturing residents’ and volunteers’ stories of hope, compassion and courage through photographs, video, and writing; students will also document their own service efforts.
- Mississippi Department of Education ($111,000)
Working closely with the Mississippi Commission of Volunteer Service and the University of Southern Mississippi, this grant will provide training and technical assistance to five school districts directly affected by Hurricane Katrina to enable them to engage K-12 students in disaster relief projects. Funds will also be used to recruit community volunteers to work with the students and their families to restore schools and communities.
- Institute for Global Education and Service-Learning ($90,000)
This grant will support the “Walk About” summer-school service-learning program, which engages youth in community-based service projects and strengthens their basic academic skills. Specifically, the grant will allow youth from communities that have experienced extensive damage, including youth who currently reside in temporary housing or who resettled to other communities, to contribute to the relief efforts. Learn and Serve America provides an “on ramp” to a lifetime of civic engagement for approximately 1.5 million students each year by awarding grants to schools, colleges, and community organizations to engage students in service activities linked to academic achievement. This type of learning, called service-learning, improves communities while developing the lifelong habit of service in young people.
Through its AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and Learn and Serve America programs, the Corporation for National and Community Service provides opportunities for Americans of all ages and backgrounds to serve their communities and country. Together with the USA Freedom Corps, the Corporation is working to build a culture of citizenship, service, and responsibility in America. For more information, visit http://www.nationalservice.gov.
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