Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - May 25, 2000
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Locke announces multi-million dollar grants for school safety and reading programs

OLYMPIA - Gov. Gary Locke today announced a new $13.2 million federal grant to fund more than 1,175 full-time AmeriCorps volunteer positions throughout the state. The grant, administered by the Washington Commission for National and Community Service, was the second largest awarded in the western United States.

More than $280,000 of the grant money will fund the Youth Serving Youth Initiative, which is designed to implement recommendations from Locke's School Safety Summit held in 1998. The program uses AmeriCorps members to promote school safety in selected schools in Yakima and King counties. Members recruit community volunteers to serve as mentors, reach out to students who seem alone or left out and place students on decision-making bodies dealing with youth safety issues.

The highly successful Washington Reading Corps, created by the governor in 1998, will receive more than $3.1 million. The tutoring program has helped 22,000 children become better readers with the help of 11,000 volunteer tutors.

"I am extremely pleased we can expand our AmeriCorps efforts in our communities to help struggling readers learn and to make our schools safer," Locke said.

AmeriCorps, a domestic version of the Peace Corps, places teams of individuals on projects that address critical community needs. In exchange for their year of service, members receive a small living allowance, health insurance and a $4,725 educational award at the end of service that can be used to pay for post-secondary education or to pay back their student loans.

Examples of AmeriCorps activities include constructing new houses for first-time low-income home buyers in Spokane, implementing salmon restoration projects across the state and expanding efforts in Kitsap and Snohomish counties to provide constructive activities for teens and young adults to reduce juvenile crime.

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