Last week, Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., introduced four bills to create incentives for people of all ages to volunteer in their communities. The bills, promoted with Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3, who will introduce companion legislation in the House, will expand funds for grants and awards to make education more affordable for volunteers. Co-sponsored by Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., the legislation includes the Semester of Service Act to offer academic credit to teens for service done during the school year, the Summer of Service Act to provide a $500 educational grant for students who volunteer during the summer between middle school and high school and the Encore Act to offer $1,000 educational scholarships for citizens 50 and older who volunteer 250 to 500 hours per year with local nonprofits. A final bill, known as the Action Act, would increase educational awards for AmeriCorps graduates from $4,725 a year to $6,585, with subsequent increases each year during the four years of college. However, Ronald Cretaro, executive director of the Connecticut Association of Nonprofits, said rather than creating incentives to persuade more people to volunteer, it is better to make sure the programs that currently exist are financially able to continue operations. Volunteer programs and nonprofits "are going to be faced with further cutbacks or packing it in," he said. "I would like to see more initiatives out of the government to help make sure nonprofits are going to be around in a couple years." Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Dominican Republic in the 1960's.
Tait Militana writes: Dodd's volunteer incentives useless without funded programs
Dodd's volunteer incentives useless without funded programs
Posted on 03/05/2009
WASHINGTON
TAIT MILITANA
Hour Washington Correspondent
Lawmakers need to do more to help ensure the survival of community service programs and nonprofit organizations in the wake of the economic crisis, Connecticut volunteer leaders said.
Though they applauded recent initiatives to increase volunteers nationwide, they said in a series of interviews, the initiatives will have little effect if there are few programs left for the volunteers to join.
Michael Johnston, CEO of United Way of Western Connecticut, said he worries the economic situation and state budget cuts will leave little money for nonprofits and volunteer organizations, forcing them to cut back on services.
"We are not entirely sure the nonprofits are going to get through this very difficult time," Johnston said. "We certainly worry that there will be challenges in the next few years because this is as bad as we've seen it."
Last week, Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., introduced four bills to create incentives for people of all ages to volunteer in their communities.
The bills, promoted with Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3, who will introduce companion legislation in the House, will expand funds for grants and awards to make education more affordable for volunteers.
Co-sponsored by Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., the legislation includes the Semester of Service Act to offer academic credit to teens for service done during the school year, the Summer of Service Act to provide a $500 educational grant for students who volunteer during the summer between middle school and high school and the Encore Act to offer $1,000 educational scholarships for citizens 50 and older who volunteer 250 to 500 hours per year with local nonprofits.
A final bill, known as the Action Act, would increase educational awards for AmeriCorps graduates from $4,725 a year to $6,585, with subsequent increases each year during the four years of college.
However, Ronald Cretaro, executive director of the Connecticut Association of Nonprofits, said rather than creating incentives to persuade more people to volunteer, it is better to make sure the programs that currently exist are financially able to continue operations.
Volunteer programs and nonprofits "are going to be faced with further cutbacks or packing it in," he said. "I would like to see more initiatives out of the government to help make sure nonprofits are going to be around in a couple years."
In the past two months, two nonprofit groups in Fairfield County have closed because of financial problems associated with the poor economy. The Safe Neighborhoods AmeriCorps Partnership, a Bridgeport-based program that fought to reduce crime and violence, was discontinued in January because the program could not raise enough to match federal grants.
Last month, Dress for Success Mid-Fairfield County, a program based in Fairfield that provides professional attire for disadvantaged women, suspended its services because of financial challenges and economic uncertainty, according to its Web site.
A spokesman from Dress for Success was not available for comment.
Thyda Korng, a former Bridgeport AmeriCorps program director, said though she is happy that there has been a call for public service from Washington, she is disappointed that her program could not be included in the volunteer expansions.
"It's about the many people who had their lives changed by the program," Korng said.
AmeriCorps is in the preliminary stages of creating a new program in Bridge-port, Korng said.
According to Dodd, the programs closing around the country present a problem for his plan, but there are other ways for people to help out. He said it is important now more than ever to volunteer because so many people are suffering.
"The need now is greater than it has ever been," Dodd said. "There are still churches and community organizations and ways for people to plug into those."
