PAWTUCKET, RI – In an effort to boost graduation rates and help Pawtucket high school students connect to opportunities after graduation, U.S. Senator Jack Reed today congratulated Serve Rhode Island and the Pawtucket School District for winning a $219,680 federal grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency for service and volunteering that administers AmeriCorps.

The federal funds will help support AmeriCorps members at Tolman High School and Shea High School as they provide both in-school and out of school as well as summer programming to connect graduating seniors to post-secondary career paths.  A local match of $225,006 and $126,060 in education awards will be leveraged to bring the total value of the program to over $570,000.

“I commend Mayor Grebien, Superintendent DiCenso and the Pawtucket School Department, and Serve Rhode Island for working together to win this federal grant to help improve college and career opportunities for graduating seniors.  Serve Rhode Island and AmeriCorps members really make a positive difference in our communities.  This is a smart federal investment that will help open new opportunities for Pawtucket high school students.  It gives more young people the opportunity to gain valuable skills while enriching local schools and our community,” said Senator Reed, a member of the Appropriations subcommittee that oversees AmeriCorps funding and a strong supporter of national service.

Pawtucket is one of ten communities nationwide selected for the Operation AmeriCorps initiative.  The project is supported by the City of Pawtucket and Serve Rhode Island, the state's Commission for National and Community Service, which administers the state’s AmeriCorps program and will help provide oversight at the state level.

Sixteen AmeriCorps members will be assigned to work with Pawtucket students in grades 11 and 12 to better connect graduating seniors to one of five post-secondary opportunities: college or post-secondary technical training; military service; employment or paid internships; AmeriCorps or other national service; registered apprenticeship; or job training.  Over a two-year project period, this Connecting Futures Operation AmeriCorps program aims to connect over 900 graduating seniors to one of these five post-secondary career tracks.

In honor of National Volunteer Week, CNCS released its first-ever rankings of the states and cities that generate the most AmeriCorps members per capita.  The report found that Rhode Island ranks 6th in the nation in producing the highest number of AmeriCorps members per capita and Providence ranks 2nd in the nation in terms of cities.

According to CNCS: AmeriCorps engages more than 75,000 members in intensive service annually. Members serve through nonprofit, and community organizations at 25,000 locations across the country. These AmeriCorps members help communities tackle pressing problems and mobilize millions of volunteers for the organizations they serve.  Since 1994, more than 900,000 Americans have provided more than 1.2 billion hours of service, and earned more than $2.8 billion in education awards to pay for college. These members have tackled some of the most pressing challenges facing America: educating millions of students for jobs of the 21st century, supporting individuals, families, and neighborhoods on the road to economic recovery; supporting veterans and military families; helping communities rebuild after natural disasters; improving at-risk ecosystems; and providing healthy futures.

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