AmeriCorps Grant to Support 125 New Members to Great Basin Institute's Nevada Conservation Corps 5/27/2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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Contact: |
Dianemarie Collins |
Friday, May 23, 2008
Nevada Volunteers Announces AmeriCorps Grant to Support 125 New Members to Great Basin Institute's Nevada Conservation Corps
Reno, NV- Nevada Volunteers announced last week that The Great Basin Institute (GBI) Nevada Conservation Corps ( NCC ) received a $617,500 AmeriCorps grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service. The grant expands the NCC to 125 AmeriCorps members from the current 86 members providing valuable natural resource management services throughout Nevada . "With the funding of this AmeriCorps program, Nevada can expect to see a much-needed, cost-effective expansion in environmental services on our public lands, Shawn Lecker-Pomaville CEO for Nevada Volunteers stated. "Without this grant, Nevada stood to lose nearly half the national service opportunities in this state." "Nevada Volunteers is delighted that high-quality national service opportunities are available to our citizens that will give them an education award and a stipend in exchange for their service to the state." Matt Johnson, NCC AmeriCorps program director, says that the grant award is great news and means a lot to the program."What a huge compliment to our program that we are doing something right," Johnson enthused. "But it is also a huge obligation for us to do a good job. These funds will allow an expanding internship program, with capacity building – working closing with agencies to increase AmeriCorps members so that more volunteers from the community can be added."
Johnson also said that with the additional interns supporting other non-profit agencies NCC becomes a hub for increasing volunteerism in all of Nevada .
"We want to spread the resource from the grant money around the state as much as possible," Johnson stated.
Bryan Guiot, director of programs for Nevada Volunteers, the governor's commission that administers the Nevada AmeriCorps programs, said that NCC winning the grant is very impressive indeed."This is a proud day for Nevada ," Guiot said after learning of the grant award. "Competition for this grant was extraordinarily intense ... only 49 of 132 applications were funded. Particularly noteworthy is the low cost per member, the amount of cash match that GBI is able to contribute as federal match, excellent member recruitment and retention rates and consistently meeting or exceeding grant's performance measures."
"The programs selected for funding are tackling some of the most pressing problems in communities across the United States ," said David Eisner, CEO of the Corporation, which administers AmeriCorps. "We are investing in organizations that have proved their ability to improve lives, and we are also supporting creative programs with strong models that will use AmeriCorps members to bring lasting change." The NCC team members provide valuable resource management services throughout Nevada including trail building and maintenance, forest fuel reduction, exotic species eradication, and arid land, fire and riparian restoration. About Nevada Volunteers: Nevada Volunteers creates countless opportunities to inspire, teach, train and recognize individuals, organizations, and businesses across Nevada to develop a legacy of service and citizenship. The Nevada Volunteers is the Governor's Commission that administers AmeriCorps programs statewide and hosts the annual Governor's Points of Light award. Since 1998, over 1,100 AmeriCorps members have served throughout Nevada recruiting more than 14,000 volunteers who donated over 97,000 hours of service to local communities. The Website www.NevadaVolunteers.org eventually will become a single source for Nevadans to go statewide for volunteering opportunities. Those interested in determining how they can participate should subscribe for e-mail updates at the Nevada Volunteers website, www.NevadaVolunteers.org. About Nevada Conservation Corps Our statewide program transcends racial, ethnic and economic barriers by creating a cadre of corps members comprised of diverse backgrounds, drawing a broad-based national recruitment process. By uniting environmental resources from federal, state and county agencies, the NCC provides students and young professionals opportunities to make meaningful contributions toward protecting and conserving Nevada 's natural heritage, while also gaining valuable work experience in natural resource management. About The Great Basin InstituteNow in its tenth year, the Great Basin Institute (GBI) is an interdisciplinary field studies organization that promotes environmental research, education, and conservation throughout the West. GBI advances ecological literacy and habitat restoration through educational outreach and direct service programs like the Nevada Conservation Corps. For further info rmation, contact Jerry Keir, Director, Great Basin Institute, at 775-784-1192 or by email at keir@unr.edu. GBI's website can be found at www.greatbasininstitute.org.
About AmeriCorps Service: AmeriCorps is a national service program that engages 75,000 Americans of all ages and backgrounds in service to meet critical needs in education, the environment, public safety, homeland security, and other human needs. AmeriCorps works through existing organizations and helps them reach more people and better achieve their mission. In 2007, the nation's AmeriCorps members recruited 1.7 million community volunteers to serve alongside them in some 4,100 nonprofit, faith-based and community organizations across the country. AmeriCorps members typically remain actively engaged in their communities once their service is complete. AmeriCorps alumni can not only continue to be counted on as volunteers but they also run nonprofit organizations, marshal community resources to solve local problems, and go into public service careers. After completing a full term of service, AmeriCorps members are eligible to receive the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $4,725 that they can use to pay for college, pay off student loans or cover future tuition costs. Interested individuals can learn about available opportunities and apply by visiting www.AmeriCorps.gov. ###
