Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons
WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons and Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (all D-Del.) today celebrated nearly $2.4 million in State and National funding including grants and education awards from AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism.
These grants will support 230 AmeriCorps members in Wilmington across three programs: RAI Reading Intervention Program, Reading Assist High-Dosage Tutoring Program, and the Summer Learning Collaborative, Inc.
“AmeriCorps members provide vital support to our communities through their service and volunteerism,” said Senator Carper. “From building homes to tutoring students, Delaware is a better place because of AmeriCorps members who serve here. I am glad that this funding will help students continue to succeed inside and outside of the classroom in Delaware.”
“As Co-Chair of the National Service Caucus, I’m thrilled to see such a strong investment from AmeriCorps to benefit communities up and down Delaware,” said Senator Coons. “Every $1 we invest in deploying AmeriCorps members is an investment into our future, and AmeriCorps has long been on the front lines of our nation’s most pressing challenges. This almost $2.4 million in funding will help over 1,000 Delaware kids with literacy interventions, including improving reading outcomes and inspiring the next generation of book lovers. I look forward to seeing the work these AmeriCorps members can do to address the critical needs of the First State.”
“For over two decades, AmeriCorps has developed extraordinary volunteers through its commitment to national service – and continues to see the value in investing in them in Delaware and across the country,” said Congresswoman Blunt Rochester. “I’m thrilled to join Senators Carper and Coons in announcing nearly $2.4 million in funding for Delaware AmeriCorps members that will be instrumental in strengthening educational and literacy programs that support Delawareans across our state.”
These AmeriCorps State and National grants and new AmeriCorps members will help prepare students for college, revitalize cities, connect veterans to jobs, fight the opioid epidemic, rebuild communities following disasters, preserve public lands, strengthen education, foster economic opportunity, and more. They will join the more than 1.1 million AmeriCorps members who have served since the program’s inception in 1994, earning nearly $4 billion in education awards.
This announcement includes $1.47 million in competitive funding from AmeriCorps, and an additional $463,858 in Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards. The Delaware Governor’s Commission on Community and Volunteer Service, the state service commission, will also receive $921,037 in formula funding. After a full-service term, members can receive a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of approximately $6,500 toward tuition at eligible schools and at certain GI Bill-approved educational programs for veterans, or student loan repayment.
###