Large Grant Awarded to Buncombe County, North Carolina, Americorps Project Aimed at Helping Children

Project POWER (Putting Opportunities Within Everyone's Reach), an Americorps program in Buncombe County, N.C., that is run through Children First of Buncombe County, has been told it will be receiving a state grant in the amount of $365,390.

AmeriCorps is a nationwide effort that is, itself, funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service. The aims of the countrywide corporation include building awareness of the power of volunteerism and encouraging a dedication to community and civic service and responsibility. Among Americorps highest priorities are "fighting illiteracy", "improving health services" , "building affordable housing", "cleaning parks and streams", "managing or operating after-school programs", "helping communities respond to disasters" and "tutoring and mentoring disadvantaged youths", the last of which was significantly addressed in the awarding of the present grant. More than 70,000 people throughout the United States are involved in Americorps network which coordinates various programs at the local, state and national levels. Furthermore, Americorps strives to bring together people of all backgrounds, ethnicities, age groups and backgrounds in terms of the groups it targets, as well as the volunteers it trains and from which it draws.

Since 1994 more than 4000 North Carolinians and 400,000 people across the country have participated in delivering Americorps programs and services to communities everywhere.

Each year large grants are awarded to ongoing efforts throughout the fifty states that are aimed at promoting the goals of Americorps. These grants are initially awarded to the North Carolina Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service. This commission, run through the Governor's office in Raleigh, then distributes and administers the funding to the various AmeriCorps agencies.

Project POWER dedicates itself towards tutoring and mentoring students whose reading abilities sit below their grade level's average. Volunteers also counsel high school students in an effort to improve their attitudes towards school and assist them in resolving existing conflicts. In addition to addressing these concerns, part of the grant money will also be used to train new volunteers to carry out these projects.

Children First was one of ten programs awarded state-funded grants this year. The total grant money given to North Carolina topped $3,681,000. and is being distributed to a wide range of AmeriCorps programs, all of which run concurrently with the school year.

For more information on these programs and grants, call 800-820-4483 or log onto www.volunteernc.org.