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St. Cloud State University
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AmeriCorps lands on campus
By Regina Eckes
Published:
Thursday, September 25, 2003
"The bedrock to being a good citizen is serving others," said Director of Commercial Operations for Cold Spring Granite and Commissioner with Serve Minnesota, Jay Esmay at the AmeriCorps kick-off Wednesday. For the first time, St. Cloud students and community members will be able to find an AmeriCorps program in their own backyard as St. Cloud State University has collaborated with nine other organizations to form a coalition, the St. Cloud Corps, with SCSU as its fiscal host.
AmeriCorps began in 1993 as a network of national service programs involving more than 50,000 Americans each year, working with over 2,000 non-profit and faith-based organizations. The service goal of an AmeriCorps member is to help programs meet critical needs in education, health, the environment and public safety.
In order to have an AmeriCorps program based in a certain community, an application for a federal grant must be submitted. St. Cloud's Volunteer Connection Coordinator, Lissa Staples, met with representatives from organizations such as the United Way and Catholic Charities, to brainstorm and decide if AmeriCorps would be good for the St. Cloud community.
One of the obstacles the coalition encountered was where to house AmeriCorps and who would have the means to be the economic host. SCSU was chosen for its large space, infrastructure and type of effect the university would have on the community.
"The University and the community are slowly but surely coming together," said president of SCSU, Roy Saigo. "St. Cloud State University wants to be the catalyst in getting people involved in volunteering and helping the community."
The AmeriCorps program also goes along with the University's mission to serve the greater community while being a part of it.
"The University understands that it is so important to be connected to the community and this is another opportunity to show that we do want to work with them," Staples said. "(AmeriCorps) is not like other university programs. It's definitely St. Cloud State but it is outwardly focused."
Representatives of the organizations involved in the coalition were very pleased to have been awarded the grant, especially because AmeriCorps had been experiencing financial difficulties. The Bush Administration has not responded to requests for more funding the way the program had hoped.
"We were just thrilled the proposal got accepted, especially because AmeriCorps was going through a hard time with a lot of budget problems," Staples said. "Many of the programs of the state and nation got cut. The fact that we were a brand new program that got funded was amazing."
To become an AmeriCorps member, there are three main qualifications. The age requirement is 17 but from there, no age limit is enforced. Applicants must have a high school diploma, G.E.D., or be in the process of getting one of the two. They must also be U.S. citizens and national, lawful and permanent residents. Otherwise anyone, regardless of race, age or gender can apply. Staples finds that AmeriCorps is very popular among new alums, those who have just graduated and are not sure what they want to do in life. "They can do a year of service to get some connections and get some experience," she said.
Upon being accepted into the program, members will receive training for the type of service they will be doing. Depending on what host site they are assigned to, they will work with an organization on one of three main emphases. Working with the United Way or Boys and Girls Club will naturally focus more on service learning and mentoring as opposed to working with the American Red Cross, which would deal with disaster preparedness and homeland security. SCSU will even be offering their own position for AmeriCorps through Volunteer Connections to promote service learning, working with faculty to incorporate service into their classes. Staples is excited about having an AmeriCorps position at the university.
"To have a connection with a national service right here at SCSU and in St. Cloud is an amazing opportunity for our students and for the university," Staples said.
Members must complete 1,700 hours of service over an 11-month period. Of the $300,000 grant, the majority goes to paying members for living expenses. They will receive around $9,000 for the entire year of service. Upon completion, members are eligible for nearly $5,000 as an education award to pay for school or students loans.
Jennifer Rausch is the AmeriCorps Program Coordinator and had been working as Staff Recruiting and Volunteer Coordinator for Catholic Charities. She also did two years of AmeriCorps service and found it to be beneficial in many aspects of her life.
"My experience was fantastic. I had a chance to really know the community and feel like I was doing something important," Rausch said. "You get a chance to network with different agencies, people and programs that are out there. There's also a training element to the service that will educate members."
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