Serve Rhode Island, Pawtucket win $219K grant to boost graduation

U.S. SEN. Jack F. Reed announced that Serve Rhode Island and the Pawtucket School District have won a $219,680 federal grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency for service and volunteering that administers AmeriCorps, to boost graduation rates and help Pawtucket students connect with opportunities after graduation. / PBN FILE PHOTO
U.S. SEN. Jack F. Reed announced that Serve Rhode Island and the Pawtucket School District have won a $219,680 federal grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency for service and volunteering that administers AmeriCorps, to boost graduation rates and help Pawtucket students connect with opportunities after graduation. / PBN FILE PHOTO

PAWTUCKET – Serve Rhode Island and the Pawtucket School District have won a $219,680 federal grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency for service and volunteering that administers AmeriCorps, to boost graduation rates and help Pawtucket students connect with opportunities after graduation.
The funds were announced by U.S. Sen. Jack F. Reed.

The federal funds will help support AmeriCorps members at Tolman High School and Shea High School. A local match of $225,006 and $126,060 in education awards will be leveraged to bring the total value of the program to more than $570,000, according to a press release.
“I commend Mayor [Donald R.] Grebien, Superintendent [Patti] 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,” Reed said in a statement.

Pawtucket is one of 10 communities nationwide selected for the Operation AmeriCorps initiative.
Sixteen AmeriCorps members will be assigned to work with Pawtucket students in grades 11 and 12 to better connect graduating seniors to the following 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 more than 900 graduating seniors to one of these five post-secondary career tracks.

In honor of National Volunteer Week, CNCS released rankings of the states and cities that generate the most AmeriCorps members per capita.
The report found that Rhode Island ranks sixth in the nation in producing the highest number of AmeriCorps members per capita and Providence ranks second in the nation in terms of mid-size cities.
Three other New England states cracked the top 10 for producing the highest number of AmeriCorps members per capita – Vermont, fourth; Massachusetts, ninth; and Maine, 10th.

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