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May 21, 2008
National service program supports local nonprofit
WICHITA, Kan. – A national service program vested in meeting the critical needs of millions of Americans recently announced their support of a project to support working individuals with disabilities.
AmeriCorps announced the $45,489 award to the Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation of Kansas during National Recognition of AmeriCorps Week, a nationwide recognition to thank the more than 540,000 men and women who have served in AmeriCorps since its 1994 inception.
Robert Hull, CPRF Research Division vice president, was notified by Amy Hetrick, Corporation for National and Community Service Program Manager, about the recent donation. The two will meet May 30 – June 3 at the National Volunteering and Service Conference in Atlanta, Ga., to discuss the AmeriCorps National Direct Planning Grant.
The grant will be used to create two planning teams, consisting of 20 disability and service professionals in both Wichita and Atlanta. They will develop plans and collaborations for a three-year AmeriCorps program to begin in July 2009. Accounting students at colleges and universities will be invited to become AmeriCorps members. They will be trained to provide financial support services such as, Social Security Administration disability benefits management, Internal Revenue Services income tax preparation, financial education and asset development for working individuals with disabilities.
“We are delighted to receive this planning grant. It will help us lay the foundation for a strong AmeriCorps program with units in Wichita and Atlanta, Georgia to provide these financial support services to individuals with disabilities,” said Hull. “As they begin working, these services will help them overcome financial obstacles and move ahead toward the American Dream.”
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.
More about AmeriCorps can be found at www.AmeriCorps.gov. Learn more about CPRF by visiting www.cprf.org.
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Media contact:
Liz Karp
Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation of Kansas, Inc.
316.652.1544 or 316.304.1627
Posted by Nancy at May 21, 2008 02:42 PM