A couple of months ago, I talked about what it means to be an AmeriCorps VISTA working for Habitat here in Chattanooga (read the post here!). This week is AmeriCorps Week and we want to celebrate all the work AmeriCorps has done and is doing in this area, the state, and country!
For those of you who don’t understand how AmeriCorps Works, check out this cool graphic. As you can see, AmeriCorps members typically serve at a site (Habitat for Humanity in Chattanooga), which may be one of several sites served by a local AmeriCorps grantee or sponsor organization (Habitat for Humanity International).
Below are some facts and stats on what AmeriCorps Members of working on around the country today! Support Americorps TODAY! Join! Volunteer!
AmeriCorps Tackles America’s Toughest Problems
- Service is a Solution: More than 83,000 AmeriCorps members improve the lives of millions of our most vulnerable citizens each year. AmeriCorps’ impacts are proven and measurable.
- Education: Most AmeriCorps members are helping youth from disadvantaged backgrounds succeed in school and in life through programs that teach, tutor, mentor, and engage young people in service. Last year, AmeriCorps members mentored, tutored or served more than 2.5 million disadvantaged youth.
- Economic Opportunity: VISTA, AmeriCorps’ poverty-fighting program, engages more than 7,000 full-time members each year in fighting poverty – creating businesses, expanding technology access, recruiting literacy volunteers, and strengthening anti-poverty groups.
- Health: AmeriCorps members save lives through HIV/AIDS education and outreach; drug and alcohol prevention training; and connecting poor families to health clinics and services.
- Disasters: From tornadoes and hurricanes to fires and floods, AmeriCorps members have responded to hundreds of natural disasters. In response to Katrina, more than 17,000 AmeriCorps members have provided 8.5 million hours of service and managed more than 611,000 other volunteers.
- Environment: AmeriCorps members build trails, restore parks, protect watersheds, run recycling programs, weatherize homes and support conservation and alternative energy strategies.
- Veterans and Military Families: Under the Serve America Act, AmeriCorps is working to engage more veterans in service and to support more programs that meet the needs of veterans as they readjust to civilian life.
AmeriCorps Fast Facts
- 706,000: Number of people who have served as AmeriCorps members since 1994.
- 860 Million: Total number of hours served by AmeriCorps members.
- 2.5 million: Number of disadvantaged youth tutored, mentored, or served by AmeriCorps members in fiscal 2010.
- 2.6 Million: Number of community volunteers managed or mobilized by AmeriCorps members in 2010.
- 14,000: Number of nonprofit, faith-based, and community organizations that AmeriCorps members serve with.
- $480 million Value of cash and in-kind donations leveraged by AmeriCorps members in fiscal 2010.
- $2 Billion: Total amount of Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards earned by AmeriCorps members.
- $7.2 Billion: Amount of AmeriCorps funds invested in nonprofit, community, education, and faith-based groups since 1994.
How To Join
Go to AmeriCorps.gov or call 800-942-2677 to get started!
Tags: AmeriCorps, AmeriCorps Week, CNCS, Habtiat Chattanooga, VISTA, Volunteering
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