Employment Security awards funds for community projects in King County - October 21, 2009
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Media contact:
Mark Varadian,
Communications Manager,
360-902-9454
OLYMPIA – The state Employment Security Department has awarded grants worth more than $600,000 to King County public-service programs.
“These grants improve the lives of people across our state while also creating meaningful experiences for our Corps members,” said Karen Lee, commissioner of the Employment Security Department.
The grants include:
* | $120,000 to Federal Way Public Schools for 50 Washington Service Corps members to provide tutoring for at-risk students in the K-12 system. Federal Way Public Schools also received $35,000 under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) to help pay for an additional 20 Washington Service Corps members to prepare students without a college-going tradition in their families to meet college eligibility requirements. |
* | $50,000 to Environmental Outreach and Stewardship Alliance to help pay for 12 Washington Service Corps members who provide habitat restoration, civic leadership training, youth environmental education, and technical environmental training. |
* | $57,000 to the King County Housing Authority to help pay for 14 Washington Service Corps members who address hunger and nutrition issues by increasing the capacity of food banks and developing community gardens. |
* | $58,000 to Seattle Youth Garden Works to help pay for 12 Washington Service Corps members who serve low-income and homeless youth with gardening and employment skills and shelter services. |
* | $62,000 to Earth Corps to help pay for 15 Washington Service Corps members who work on environmental restoration projects. |
* | $65,000 to Habitat for Humanity East King County to help pay for 16 Washington Service Corps members who build new homes or rehabilitate existing homes for families. |
* | $159,000 to Solid Ground to help pay for 53 Washington Reading Corps members who tutor K-6 students one-on-one or in small groups, act as positive mentors to those targeted students, and promote family literacy. |
Nearly $2 million is being distributed to school districts, counties, learning centers, housing
authorities and non-profit groups to support. Team members will provide services in 26 of
Funding for the grants comes from the federal AmeriCorps and Volunteers in Service to
America (VISTA) programs. Employment Security distributes the money to local
communities throughout Washington to cover operating costs and provide stipends to
Corps members to serve on a wide range of public-service projects.
Created by the state legislature in 1983 and administered by the Employment Security
Department, the Washington Service Corps engages the talents, energy and enthusiasm of civic-minded adults, aged 17 and up, in serving their communities.
To learn more about Washington Service Corps team projects and individual placement sitesvisit www.esd.wa.gov/washservicecorps/ and click on “Information on current WashingtonService Corps programs”.
Web link
WorkSource – http://www.go2worksource.com
Broadcast version
The Employment Security Department has distributed nearly $2 million in grants throughout the state for public service programs.
Funding for the grants comes from the federal AmeriCorps and
Team members will provide services in twenty-six of
