President allots funds to boost AmeriCorps

Thursday, February 11, 1999

President allots funds to boost AmeriCorps

CLINTON: ‘Call to Service’ campaign wants to attract more
participation for student volunteer scholarship program

By Lawrence Ferchaw

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

President Clinton announced his plans to expand funding and
increase participation in AmeriCorps, a national service program
that gives student volunteers money for college, on Wednesday.

At the University of Maryland, College Park, the president
launched the "Call to Service" campaign to increase the number of
yearly participants in the program from the current 40,000 to
100,000 by 2003.

To reach this goal, Clinton has requested that Congress
appropriate $533 million for the program in the next fiscal year, a
$106 million increase over the previous year.

"But I want to challenge the young people of this country – and
the not so young who are willing to serve – to sign up for
AmeriCorps, to see for yourselves what you can do to solve
America’s problems and reap America’s promise," the president said
to the crowd of AmeriCorps members, students and local officials in
Maryland’s Richie Coliseum.

The organization places members with non-profit and local
organizations involved in community service in projects ranging
from Habitat for Humanity to local after-school programs.

Members of AmeriCorps receive a stipend of $8,500 a year for
living expenses while working full time in a number of areas of
community service. After completing the year of service, members
also receive $4,725 for college.

In an attempt to increase participation, AmeriCorps began
running a new public service announcement produced by MTV. The
organization will also advertise in newspapers and visit 10
universities over the next couple of months.

Harris Wofford, CEO of the Corporation for National Service,
outlined the need for funding to get more students involved.

"It’s time for us in a time of surplus to get service in an
effective scale," Wofford, a former senator, said of the nation’s
current financial situation.

Part of the expansion of AmeriCorps includes a program for high
school students to work full time during the summer and part time
during the school year.

Members have served more than 32 million people since 1994,
added volunteers to organizations, built or improved more than
25,000 homes and mentored more than 2 million children, according
to AmeriCorps.

"AmeriCorps needs young people because America needs them,"
Wofford said during a conference call with reporters from a number
of student newspapers. "Yours is a do-something generation, and
this is a way to show it."

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