Kentucky Receives AmeriCorps Grants; Funding will help build houses, serve at-risk students

FRANKFORT, KY - June 18, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Two Kentucky AmeriCorps programs will receive more than $750,000 in new grant money to develop transitional housing and serve at-risk students.

The money is from the annual funding competition of the Corporation for National and Community Service, a public-private partnership that engages Americans of all ages in service.

AmeriCorps is a national service program administered by the Kentucky Commission on Community Volunteerism and Service (KCCVS) in the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. Members serve faith-based and nonprofit organizations to meet critical educational, environmental and safety needs.

KCCVS Executive Director Eileen Cackowski said the grants will help program members contribute more to their communities.

“We are thrilled to be selected and eager to start getting things done,” she said. “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.”

Through the corporation’s 2009 funding, 259 national and local nonprofits will engage 23,000 new AmeriCorps members in improving lives and strengthening communities from coast to coast. Most positions will start in the summer and fall.

The two Kentucky programs receiving funding were selected through a highly competitive, national process and will use their grant funding to serve clients statewide.

The Homeless and Housing Coalition of Kentucky’s new Build Corps program will receive $504,000 to build and renovate homes for low-income families. The 40-member group will also assist with weatherization projects for qualifying families.

The Northern Kentucky Cooperative for Educational Services’ Strategically Using Creative Contexts to Ensure Student Success (SUCCESS) Corps will receive $252,000 for its work to increase school readiness for children throughout the state using a research-based home visitation model called Parents as Teachers. Members support families and encourage greater parental involvement in education.

AmeriCorps members may serve one or two years. Upon completion of their service, members are eligible for an education award of $4,725 that can be used to pay back student loans or cover tuition costs. Kentucky AmeriCorps members have received more than $14.3 million in education awards since the program began.

For more information about Kentucky’s AmeriCorps programs or AmeriCorps projects, call toll-free (800) 239-7404 or visit the KCCVS Web site at www.volunteerKY.ky.gov.

Media Contact: Anya Armes Weber, (502) 564-6180, ext. 4014; or Vikki Franklin, (502) 564-7042

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