AmeriCorps volunteers do great work

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• Published May 28, 2008

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In his State of the Union address this year, President Bush said, "We must trust the good heart of the American people and empower them to serve their neighbors in need."

One of the best outlets for community service is AmeriCorps, a network of national service programs that engage residents in intensive service to meet the nation's critical needs in education, public safety, health and the environment.

Since AmeriCorp's inception in 1994, South Sound has hosted 775 AmeriCorps members. Generally, they have been college-age individuals, but all have dedicated themselves to a year of community service. This year alone, Community Youth Services is working with 76 AmeriCorps members. Twenty are serving in the Youth In Service program at nonprofit organizations and schools, with the remaining 56 serving in the Washington Reading Corps, where they provide full-time support to literacy programs at elementary schools.

The AmeriCorps members, who receive a small stipend toward education expenses for their 10-12 months of service, have left an incredible mark on this community. It's appropriate to salute them and to encourage other young adults who are interested in bettering their community by serving others to apply for next year's program.

Clinton's program

In 1993, President Clinton signed legislation creating the Corporation for National and Community Service. That brought the full range of domestic community service programs under the umbrella of a central organization.

In September 1994, the first class of AmeriCorps members — 20,000 strong — began serving in more than 1,000 communities across the nation. On July 3, 2003, President Bush signed the Strengthen AmeriCorps Program Act, which nearly doubled the number of AmeriCorps members. Today AmeriCorps has an annual budget of about $500 million in support of about 75,000 AmeriCorps members.

Nearly a half-million individuals have served as AmeriCorps members. As noted on the AmeriCorps Web site, they have served with thousands of nonprofit organizations, public agencies and faith-based organizations nationwide — from small community groups to nationally known organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, the Red Cross and Boys & Girls Clubs of America. AmeriCorps members tutor and mentor youths; build affordable housing; clean parks and streams; and recruit, train and manage community volunteers.