FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 15, 2007
CONTACT: Norris P. West
202/606-6840; nwest@cns.gov
Hands On Network Gets 50 VISTA Volunteers
To Fight Poverty In Southern States
New Orleans — The Corporation for National and Community Service will deploy 50 AmeriCorps*VISTA volunteers to five southern states, where they will engage low-income residents to fight poverty and improve lives, CEO David Eisner announced today.
Under an agreement with the nonprofit Hands On Network, the VISTA volunteers will leverage resources and mobilize more volunteers to confront critical needs in southern states with high concentrations of poverty.
“By bringing the poverty-fighting passion and community organizing skills of our VISTAs and putting them to work within the entrepreneurial civic engagement network of Hands On, we can help many American communities solve some of the toughest poverty-related problems they face – mostly by turning to their own citizens as resources,'' said Eisner, who signed the agreement along with Hands On Network CEO and co-founder Michelle Nunn today at a ceremony in New Orleans. “It is fitting that we announce this partnership here on the Gulf Coast, where VISTAs and other AmeriCorps members and Hands On Network have already done so much good for so many. We're excited about the prospect of doing even more.''
“We are incredibly excited about this tremendous opportunity and know from firsthand experience the amazing contributions that national service members can make,” said Nunn. “We have seen them in action here in New Orleans where they have been on the ground from the beginning and continue to provide exemplary leadership as Gulf Coast communities continue to rebuild and recover. These VISTA members have the capacity to recruit and manage thousands of additional volunteers to put their hands to work and create meaningful change for communities.”
Twenty VISTAs will be assigned to Hands On Action Centers to address poverty-related issues. In addition, 20 will focus on Hands On Programming – which includes such initiatives as the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, Hands On School and the Citizen Academy program – and 10 VISTAs will be assigned to expand the Hands On Volunteer Leaders program.
Total program support is estimated at $837,500 – approximately $600,000 for the 50 VISTAs and up to $237,500 in AmeriCorps Education Awards for members who complete their service.
VISTA – Volunteers in Service To America – has been on the front lines of the fight against poverty for more than four decades. Over the years, its 177,000 volunteers have established health clinics, neighborhood watches, literacy programs, and Upward Bound and Head Start programs. Among other activities, VISTA members, who serve full time for a year, recruit community volunteers, raise funds, help manage projects, and otherwise build the capacity of nonprofit organizations to become sustainable. VISTA supports about 6,500 members annually, double the size since it became part of AmeriCorps in 1994.
The Corporation for National and Community Service improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering, providing service opportunities for millions of Americans of all ages and backgrounds. Corporation programs include Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America. For more information, visit http://www.nationalservice.gov/.
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