West Cook News

Department of Public Health issued the following announcement on July 10.

SPRINGFIELD – The Serve Illinois Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service (Serve Illinois) today announced $20 million in Corporation for National and Community Service federal grants to place 1,830 AmeriCorps Members in 46 programs to serve Illinois communities. This is an increase of $2.5 million over last year, allowing AmeriCorps Members to serve in seven additional programs. These awards include $7.4 million in education awards that AmeriCorps Members can use to pay for college after their term of service. AmeriCorps programs will match these funds with an additional $15.7 million in local funding. The total investment into Illinois communities will be $35.7 million.

AmeriCorps Members dedicate up to one year to help communities with unmet economic, education, health, public safety, disaster preparedness, veteran services, and environmental needs. Members may receive a modest living allowance, student loan deferment, health insurance, childcare, and professional development. Members who successfully complete their service receive an educational award of up to $5,920 to help pay for college, graduate school, vocational training, or to pay off student loans.

“This is the largest AmeriCorps investment Illinois has seen in the history of the program,” said Serve Illinois Executive Director Scott McFarland. “Last year, AmeriCorps Illinois served nearly 400,000 Illinoisans, including more than 209,000 disadvantaged youth and nearly 40,000 veterans, active military, and military family members.”

These federal grants will be used for services in Illinois, including tutoring and mentoring at-risk youth, preparing communities to respond effectively to emergencies, feeding those in need, providing legal support services, assisting incarcerated individuals re-enter into their communities, promoting environmental stewardship, supporting veterans, and improving youth and adult literacy. Serve Illinois, a part of the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), administers the AmeriCorps programs in Illinois.

“These AmeriCorps Members represent the best of our state and nation,” said Scott McFarland. “We believe that service is the solution, and when you see the AmeriCorps “A,” you know things are getting done.”

Since 1994, more than 41,000 Illinoisans have served 59 million hours through AmeriCorps. Those hours equal more than $1.5 billion in community impact. They have also earned $140.8 million in education awards.

Serve Illinois is a 40 member (25 voting and 15 non-voting), bipartisan commission appointed by the Governor and administered by IDPH. Its mission is to improve Illinois communities by enhancing traditional volunteer activities and supporting national service programs. Serve Illinois supports local community-based efforts to enhance volunteer opportunities and the administration of Illinois' AmeriCorps program. For more information on the Serve Illinois and a full description of each AmeriCorps program, visit www.Serve.Illinois.gov.

Serve Illinois’ AmeriCorps Programs:   Grantee Counties Served AmeriCorps Members Federal Award Local Match Academy for Urban School Leadership Cook 70 $56,000 N/A American Red Cross - Chicago Adams, Cook, Kankakee, McLean, Peoria, Rock Island, Sangamon, Will, Winnebago 27 $372,482 $380,471 Asian Human Services Cook 11 $164,230 $195,856 Beyond Sports Foundation Cook, DuPage, Kendall, Lake, Will 36 $142,192 $51,686 Cahokia School District #187 St. Claire 28 $268,776 $558,500 Chicago H.O.P.E.S. Cook 20 $123,859 $56,337 City of Peoria Peoria 20 $138,285 $381,165 City of Springfield Sangamon 16 $115,635 $36,612 City Year Chicago Cook 212 $3,165,583 $3,165,583 College Possible Illinois Cook 20 $260,000 $556,313 East Aurora School District #131 Kane 37 $178,963 $205,831 East St. Louis School District #189 St. Claire 61 $300,228 $153,151 First Defense Legal Aid Cook 9 $128,320 $50,384 Gardeneers Cook 8 $119,452 $124,435 Girl Scouts of Northern IL Boone, DeKalb, Kane, McHenry, Stephenson, Whiteside, Winnebago 21 $163,711 $125,091 Greater Chicago Food Depository Cook 25 $210,520 $286,142 Housing Forward Cook 12 $166,898 $168,818 Illinois Bar Foundation Champaign, Cook, Kankakee, Lake, Madison, McLean, Winnebago 58 $278,316 $278,219 Illinois Campus Compact Cook, Macon, Rock Island 30 $5,504 $3,846 Illinois Public Health Association Adams, Cook, Kane, Lake, Lee, Macoupin, McLean, Ogle, Peoria, Sangamon, St. Claire 20 $298,638 $298,640 Leave No Veteran Behind Cook 18 $253,668 $257,985 Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House St. Claire 198 $861,571 $1,035,657 Literacy Volunteers of America Bureau, Cook, DuPage, Henry, Jersey, Kane, Lake, Saline, Scott 42 $355,349 $679,388 Lutheran Social Services of Illinois Alexander, Randolph, St. Clair, Williamson, Winnebago 20 $137,859 $158,975 Mercy Home for Boys & Girls Cook 12 $179,184 $130,095 Metropolitan Mayors Caucus Cook, Lake, Will 8 $119,456 $127,998 Northwestern University Settlement Association Cook 72 $496,894 $496,896 Public Allies Chicago Cook 50 $649,618 $667,027 Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago Cook 12 $179,184 $263,440 Relay Graduate School of Education Cook 30 $20,140 $414,251 Rend Lake College Alexander, Clinton, Franklin, Hamilton, Jackson, Johnson, Jefferson, Marion, Massac, Perry, Pulaski, Union, Washington, Williamson 60 $445,500 $445,500 Sauk Valley Community College Bureau, Carrol, Henry, Lee, Ogle, Whiteside 40 $180,038 $191,994 Schuler Family Foundation Cook, Lake 45 N/A $1,300,000 Severson Dells Educational Foundation Boone, DeKalb, Winnebago 23 $119,304 $101,468 Southwestern Illinois College St. Claire 68 $372,716 $479,206 Springfield Urban League Morgan, Sangamon 54 $214,182 $212,810 Teach for America Cook 195 N/A $8,070,500 The University of Chicago Cook 10 $148,938 $208,369 Triton College Cook 24 $179,131 $79,366 UIC - Project MORE Cook 21 $151,474 $151,474 United Way of Metropolitan Chi. Cook 12 $179,176 $94,269 Up2Us Sports Coaches Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Will 20 $158,855 $253,080 WIU - Peace Corps Fellows McDonough 14 $142,506 $142,506 YMCA Rock River Valley Boone, Winnebago 19 $141,642 $62,886 Youth & Opportunity United Cook 22 $270,326 $665,695

Original source can be found here.