Trekkers receives $29,565 AmeriCorps Grant

Mon, 08/13/2018 - 1:45pm

    THOMASTON — Trekkers has received a $29,565 AmeriCorps grant from the Maine Commission for Community Service (MCCS) to support two AmeriCorps members who will be participating in expeditions, providing one on one mentoring, and recruiting, as well as working with new volunteers. This will allow Trekkers to expand its impact throughout its six town service area in Midcoast Maine.     

    “AmeriCorps is an indispensable resource to help meet critical challenges facing our communities and nation,” said Amie Hutchison, Executive Director of Trekkers. "We're thrilled that the Maine Commission for Community Service has recognized the potential that AmeriCorps members in Maine offer to communities. These AmeriCorps members will meet pressing local needs as they develop civic and leadership skills that last a lifetime.”
     
    "AmeriCorps members are improving the lives of citizens and having a positive and lasting impact on the toughest challenges facing our communities,” said John Portela, Chair of the Commission for Community Service. “While they serve others, AmeriCorps members also expand opportunity for themselves – gaining skills and experience to jumpstart their careers. We congratulate Trekkers for their strong application, and thank all AmeriCorps members for their dedication to service.” 
     
    AmeriCorps programs operate as a public-private partnership that leverages significant amounts of outside resources to stretch the federal dollar and increase community impact. This grant will generate an additional $40,000 in local matching support and other outside resources from businesses, foundations, and other organizations.  
     
    AmeriCorps program funds originate with the federal Corporation for National and Community Service. State Service Commissions, like the Maine Commission, manage and support grants that operate within their state while the federal agency manages programs operating in multiple states.
     
    In addition to the grant funding, the Corporation for National & Community Service will make available $11,840 in Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards for the AmeriCorps members funded by these grants. After completing a full term of service, AmeriCorps members receive an award of $5,920 that they can use to pay for college or to pay off student loans.
     
    AmeriCorps annually engages 75,000 members in intensive service to serve through nonprofit, faith-based, and community organizations at 21,000 locations across the country. These members help communities tackle pressing problems while mobilizing millions of volunteers for the organizations they serve.
     
    More than 6,500 Maine residents have served among the million AmeriCorps members who have chosen to serve since 1994. These Mainers have contributed more than 9.2 million hours of service addressing critical challenges from poverty and hunger to disasters and the opioid crisis. These Maine AmeriCorps members have also earned Segal Education Awards totaling more than $21.8 million.
     
    Trekkers is actively recruiting for these Americorps member positions. Visit www.trekker.org or contact Amie Hutchison at amie@trekkers.org for more information.