Americorps Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Round Of Funding To Support AmeriCorps W.Va. Volunteers

More than $1.5 million is going to support volunteers engaged in the AmeriCorps Vista program around the state. The program sends volunteers to local organizations that help fight poverty and support education programs.

The money will support 102 volunteers statewide, including 65 at three organizations in Charleston. That includes the nonprofits West Virginia Community Development Hub, Education Alliance and Step By Step, which helps disadvantaged youth in the coalfields region.

Thirty-two volunteers at West Virginia University in Morgantown and five at the Rural Appalachian Improvement League in Mullens will also be supported.

Specific funding includes:

$455,744 to West Virginia University Research Corporation in Morgantown
$448,812 to Step by Step in Charleston
$361,440 to West Virginia Community Development Hub in Charleston
$248,490 to Education Alliance – Business and Community for Public Schools in Charleston
$112,950 to Rural Appalachian Improvement League in Mullens

An initial $8 million was announced last week to help support AmeriCorps programs addressing literacy, diet health and opioid addiction prevention in the state.

Federal AmeriCorps Funding To Support Service, Education Programs Throughout State

AmeriCorps is sending more than $8 million to five programs across the state as part of its state and national grant program.

The money will fund a literacy mentorship program at West Virginia University, an education and leadership program in Hillsboro, and an opioid prevention program for grade school students in Charleston.

Other programs receiving funding, but not related to education, include supporting the Appalachian Forest Heritage Area in Elkins and a program that addresses diet-related health disparities in underserved communities in Wheeling.

Specific funding for each of the programs include:

$1,724,777 – West Virginia University, Morgantown
$1,154,600 – High Rocks Educational Corporation, Hillsboro
$894,735 – United Way of Central West Virginia, Charleston
$792,000 – Appalachian Forest Heritage Area, Elkins
$310,984 – Grow Ohio Valley, Wheeling

AmeriCorps separately announced $1,610,047 in funding for the National Council on Aging branch based in Wheeling Thursday. It’s set to place 72 senior AmeriCorps volunteers in the Northern Panhandle counties into the workforce by the end of its three-year grant cycle.

Volunteer West Virginia is also receiving nearly $1.7 million. The agency will use the money for more statewide resources during the next few months.

Funding comes from the American Rescue Plan Act, the federal stimulus bill passed in 2021. It will affect 555 AmeriCorps volunteers working in West Virginia.

W.Va. AmeriCorps Sites To Receive Federal Funding

Nearly $5 million is set to go towards AmeriCorps programs across the state.

AmeriCorps is a government agency that matches volunteers with nonprofits across the country. The funding is set to support over 600 volunteers and comes from competitive grants, which were awarded by AmeriCorps based on the quality of these programs.

Hawley Carlson, executive director of Volunteer West Virginia, says this type of funding is important for types of volunteer work like national park restoration, opioid use prevention and literacy education programs.

“Without this funding from AmeriCorps, and without the support of our senators really getting behind it, we wouldn’t be seeing this amount of funding coming into West Virginia,” Carlson said.

Programs to receive funding include Energy Express AmeriCorps in Morgantown, High Rocks Educational Corporation in Hillsboro, LifeBridge AmeriCorps Drug Prevention in Charleston, Appalachian Forest Heritage Area in Elkins, and Grow Ohio Valley in Wheeling.

The funding also comes after the West Virginia Legislature passed Senate Bill 228 during the 2022 regular session, granting students tuition waivers in exchange for serving as a national service volunteer in the state.

More funding is expected to be announced within the coming days for an additional six programs through federal grant money guaranteed to the state.

AmeriCorps is currently recruiting volunteers for the summer season.

AmeriCorps Teams Head To W.Va. To Help With Projects

Several West Virginia towns will get assistance from five new AmeriCorps teams for projects that include tax preparation, park and river cleanups, and rural infrastructure upgrades.

The AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps teams will go to Fairmont, Thomas, Mullens, Gandeeville and Elkview, U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito announced.

“The projects will support West Virginians in a variety of ways, from increasing financial literacy to creating new opportunities for outdoor recreation and more,” Manchin said.

Capito said the projects will give the communities a boost.

“West Virginians understand the value of community service, and are always first in line to help fellow residents in times of need,” she said.

The programs include Tygart Valley United Way in Fairmont for assistance with tax preparation in several counties; Friends of Blackwater in Thomas for help with signage, trails and planting; Rural Appalachian Improvement League in Mullens for aid with park upgrades; Roane County Commission in Gandeeville for assistance with maintenance and upkeep at Camp Sheppard; and Elk River Trail Foundation in Elkview for help with trail and river cleanup and other maintenance.

W.Va. Veteran & Former Coal Miner Receives President’s Lifetime Achievement Award in Volunteerism

A former coal miner and veteran from West Virginia has been honored with the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award in volunteerism. Wayne McDonald has volunteered over 9,000 hours, over five years, helping fellow veterans through AmeriCorps & VISTA.

McDonald is an Army veteran who served during the first Gulf War. He was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder when he returned to West Virginia. The local Ceterans center in Logan County actually helped him find medical care. Later, they approached him about joining AmeriCorps, through their VetCorps Program.

“At first I said no, because I was afraid. I’ve never done anything like this. But they talked me into it,” McDonald told West Virginia Public Broadcasting back in 2015.

Now, three years later, he’s still serving as an AmeriCorps volunteer at the Henlawson Veterans Center in Logan County. AmeriCorps members receive a living stipend and an education award for their service.

This is the first time a West Virginian has received the President’s Service Award.

W.Va. Receives Grant to Support Volunteerism

Volunteer West Virginia announced Friday that it has received a grant of more than $200,000 dollars. The funding was awarded to help the state’s Commission for National and Community Service recruit, manage and retain volunteers.

The funding comes from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency that oversees AmeriCorps and the nation’s volunteer initiatives. The grant will be used to coordinate volunteers on a number of projects, including how to help communities following natural disasters.

The money is also meant to help West Virginia communities find ways to better coordinate volunteers, says Heather Foster, executive director of Volunteer West Virginia.

“One of the things we’ve seen in the recent flooding and the recent years, West Virginians are the first to go out of their doors and extend their arms and offer hope to their neighbors.”

This is the first year West Virginia has received this type of funding from the CNCS, although the agency regularly provides money to help pay for other AmeriCorps service programs in the state.

President Trump proposed cutting funds from the Corporation for National and Community Service.