Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia and Serve Colorado-The Governor's Commission on Community Service are celebrating AmeriCorps Week, March 7-12, to highlight the extraordinary impact AmeriCorps members are making in communities across Colorado and nationally.
Since 1994, more than 30,000 Colorado residents have served in an AmeriCorps program. These members have served more than 27 million hours and have qualified for Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards totaling more than $65,340,000. These education scholarships can be used for student loans and education costs at eligible post-secondary institutions.
AmeriCorps members address a variety of community needs. Serve Colorado funds fourteen AmeriCorps programs that support 1,100 AmeriCorps positions and four planning grants to develop effective, evidence-based programs in the future. Current members serve throughout the state to tutor and mentor students, provide safe, secure housing and nutrition to low income households, develop and implement after school Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programs, re-engage students who are at-risk of dropping out of school, prevent wildfires, and maintain public lands and waterways. In 2015, AmeriCorps State Programs in Colorado enabled more than 900 members to earn $2,611,201 in education scholarships.
AmeriCorps members are strengthening communities across the country. Nationally, 983,000 individuals have served 1.38 billion hours as AmeriCorps members. In 2014, AmeriCorps members served at 21,600 different sites across the country and mobilized 2.3 million community volunteers.
Serve Colorado: Serve Colorado serves as a catalyst for the promotion and expansion of community service and volunteerism to all Colorado residents as an effective means to address civic and social issues and improve the overall well-being of communities across the state. Learn more at colorado.gov/servecolorado.