Pennsylvania Labor & Industry Secretary Announces Up to 2,200 Community Service Opportunities to be Created by $9 Million in Federal Grants
HARRISBURG, Pa., June 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Up to 2,200 Pennsylvanians will be placed into community service opportunities through $9 million in federal grants announced today by the PA Department of Labor & Industry.
PennSERVE: The Governor's Office of Citizen Service will distribute more than $5.3 million in funding with seven state grants which will create more than 1,700 positions in Pennsylvania. More than $3.9 million in five national grants will be awarded to multi-state programs operating in Pennsylvania, with the support of PennSERVE, creating up to 480 additional AmeriCorps positions.
Pennsylvania received 12 AmeriCorps grants to support community organizations that sponsor national service programs addressing unmet needs in education, economic opportunity, health, clean energy and veterans' services.
"These grants create thousands of opportunities for individuals to make a difference in their communities through citizen service," said Labor & Industry Secretary Sandi Vito. "From tutoring and mentoring, to renovating residences and community cleanup, the work carried out by these organizations will have an immediate and positive effect on our neighborhoods and residents."
The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America and the national call to service initiative, United We Serve.
For more information on becoming involved with community and citizen service in Pennsylvania, go to www.dli.state.pa.us. Click "Community Services/Volunteerism" in the left navigation area, then click "PennSERVE," or call 1-866-673-7838.
Media contact: Sarah Cassin, 717-787-7530.
Editor's note: A list of state and national AmeriCorps grant recipients with the counties they serve follows.
Funded through PennSERVE:
Adams, Lancaster and York counties
United Way of York County.
AmeriCorps members will provide emergency and disaster coordination services in York County, engage in tax preparation services and engage in volunteer recruitment to York County community members.
Grant amount: $229,190
Positions created: 53
Allegheny and Philadelphia counties
Jumpstart for Young Children, Inc.
AmeriCorps members serve in preschool settings, including Head Start, faith- and community-based centers to engage students in learning activities.
Grant amount: $320,453
Positions created: 174
Armstrong, Butler, Clarion, Clearfield, Forest, Jefferson, Lawrence, Mercer and Venango counties
Keystone SMILES Community Learning Center
AmeriCorps members improve academic outcomes of children and youth in grades K-8 by providing before, during, after school, weekend and summer programs in the Appalachian region of rural, western Pennsylvania.
Grant amount: $1,482,095
Positions created: 173
Allegheny, Blair, Cambria, Chester, Cumberland, Erie, Delaware, Huntingdon, Indiana, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Luzerne, Lehigh, Lycoming, Northampton, Montgomery, Philadelphia, Snyder, Schuylkill and Union counties
Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania
College students will serve as AmeriCorps members at non-profit organizations to support local education and other human needs that target various beneficiaries throughout the state.
Grant amount: $50,722
Positions created: 287
Statewide
AmeriCorps Community Fellows
AmeriCorps members will provide mentoring and enrichment activities focused on college awareness and preparation leading to improved graduation rates and volunteer recruitment for programs that target lower income youth.
Grant amount: $84,680
Positions created: 500
Philadelphia County
City Year Inc.
AmeriCorps members provide in-school tutoring and after-school services in Greater Philadelphia area schools.
Grant amount: $2,415,000
Positions created: 210
Philadelphia County
Teach For America
AmeriCorps members will provide classroom instruction and enrichment activities focused on overcoming the achievement gap for schools through education and volunteer generation in under resourced communities.
Grant amount: $802,497
Positions created: 330
National Direct-Funded:
Allegheny County
Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council
AmeriCorps members work to improve the literacy skills of adults by providing more frequent and expanded opportunities for instruction, provide employment skills counseling and job search assistance as well as recruiting community volunteers to help adult education sites in Pittsburgh, Seattle, Phoenix, Dayton, New Orleans, the District of Columbia and Los Angeles meet the needs of the functionally illiterate adults.
Grant amount: $1,872,000
Positions created: 144
Delaware County
HOPE Worldwide
AmeriCorps members provide direct service and perform capacity-building activities in three primary programmatic areas that focus on academic enrichment, environmental stewardship and community rebuilding.
Grant amount: $298,101
Positions created: 94
Philadelphia County
Health Federation of Philadelphia
The National Health Corps promotes health careers and health education in Pennsylvania, Illinois and Florida. Members assist uninsured individuals with accessing health care, resources and assist with enrolling the uninsured in insurance and/or drug prescription programs.
Grant amount: $1,198,486
Positions created: 94
Philadelphia County
Philadelphia AIDS Consortium
AmeriCorps members will provide health education and support services and mobilize volunteers for programs that target low income minorities living with, and affected by, HIV in, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and California.
Grant amount: $374,070
Positions created: 60
Philadelphia County
Temple University of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education
This AmeriCorps program addresses health literacy needs of elders, elderly immigrants and refugees through service learning, civic engagement and tutoring. This project assists elderly immigrants and refuges in communication with health care providers. Members support the target population's access to health services and strengthen immigrant-serving organizations' ability to address the needs of this growing population.
Grant amount: $247,619
Positions created: 90
SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry
WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?
Newsrooms &
Influencers
Digital Media
Outlets
Journalists
Opted In
Share this article