Ginsberg Center E-Newsletter
Spring/Summer 2009
Federal Stimulus Grant helps Ginsberg Center Program, Detroit Nonprofits
By Caroline Massad
Dominican Literacy Center AmeriCorps members (from left) Adrienne Banka and Laura Dilley. Photo courtesy of the Dominican Literacy Center.The Michigan AmeriCorps Partnership nearly doubled in size this summer thanks to a grant from the federal stimulus bill.
The partnership, which places AmeriCorps members with Detroit-area community- and faith-based organizations, received funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for 34 new AmeriCorps positions. The $297,000 grant will increase the size of the program to 89 total AmeriCorps members, from 55.
"This grant has helped us place more volunteers where they're needed most: with organizations that must serve more and more people, even as the economic situation makes it harder for them to raise money," Director Addell Austin Anderson said.
AmeriCorps members work in full-time, one-year positions and receive a stipend through the program rather than a salary from their employer. The Michigan AmeriCorps Partnership places members with organizations focused on social, economic and community development, health education and health promotion, and academic enhancement for youth.
The partnership placed some of the 34 new members with existing partner agencies, but also expanded the program to several new organizations.
The Dominican Literacy Center (DLC) in Detroit, which offers free one-on-one adult tutoring in literacy and basic skills, was one of the ongoing partner organizations that received an additional AmeriCorps member. Director Sr. Janice Brown said DLC's two AmeriCorps members, Adrienne Banka and Lara Dilley, have helped the center take clients off its waiting list by recruiting additional volunteer tutors, and have created resources for clients such as a study skills workshop and an orientation that helps them become more comfortable with the program.
"The energy [Banka and Dilley] bring to these efforts is catching, and the practical things they have done have enhanced our program," Brown said.
The Michigan AmeriCorps Partnership, which operates out of the Ginsberg Center, is one of 12 state-funded AmeriCorps programs in Michigan. In total, the 12 programs received stimulus funding to place 289 new AmeriCorps volunteers. The Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency that administers AmeriCorps, reports that with stimulus money, it made grants totaling $85 million that expanded AmeriCorps by 10,000 members nationally.
Learn more about the Michigan AmeriCorps Partnership.
Spring/Summer 2009 Table of Contents
- Federal Stimulus Helps Ginsberg Program, Detroit Nonprofits
- Art Prof. Tobier Wins National Award for Community Engagement
- It's Summer in the City for Semester in Detroiters Who Stay On
- SERVE Celebrates 20th Anniversary
- High Marks for Service: University of Michigan Receives Double Honors for Civic Engagement
- English Prof. Alexander, Founder of Prison Outreach Program, Named Finalist for Campus Compact Award
- How I Spent My Summer Vacation: Pangea World Service Team in Ecuador