Commonwealth Corps volunteers to meet communities' unfulfilled needs By Katelyn Gendron
Reminder Assistant Editor
Last year, Gov. Deval Patrick spearheaded an initiative to elevate the consciousness of volunteerism in an effort to supplement communities' unfulfilled needs across the state.
His efforts will be realized later this year as members of the newly appointed Commonwealth Corps mobilize their volunteer efforts serving 36 public and non-profit organizations.
On Aug. 15, Patrick announced that over $2.3 million in grant funding has been awarded to the 36 organizations employing Commonwealth Corps members this fall including five in Hampden County.
HAP Inc. will be taking on four corps members to serve as Community Housing Ambassadors; Mercy Hospital Inc. will receive 12 volunteers for their Mercy Health Communities Corps Team; Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center Inc. will employ corps members for their Commonwealth Corps Dream Keepers; the Valley Opportunity Council (VOC) will take on 15 volunteers to serve in their Literacy Works Network; and in a collaborative effort Mount Holyoke College (MHC), Holyoke Community College (HCC) and the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Amherst will employ four corps members from each campus for their Community-Based Learning (CBL) Program.
"There is a critical need for support in both Holyoke and Massachusetts for higher educational achievement and college access for low-income, underrepresented students," Alan Bloomgarden, coordinator of the MHC CBL Program, also the project director of the Commonwealth Corps at MHC, said. "With the support of this grant for our partnership, we can mobilize volunteers and institutional assets to help the public school system improve student performance, increase college awareness, and enhance the representation of Latino and low-income students in the college pipeline."
In an interview with Reminder Publications, Bloomgarden explained that the corps members will be providing a variety of services for Holyoke public school students including tutoring and mentoring programs as well as exposing them to college campuses, fairs and workshops. He added that this grant is critical in ensuring that the needs of the Latino community within Holyoke are met.
"It is a very difficult challenge," Bloomgarden said, adding that he hopes this collaboration with HCC and UMass Amherst will serve as a prime example of how multiple campuses can work together to increase the consciousness of higher education for all youth regardless of their socioeconomic background.
Mercy Hospital Inc. has been appropriated one of the larger grant awards of $131,200 for their 12-member corps team. HAP Inc. received $68,000; Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center Inc. was appropriated $149,824; VOC received $90,700; and MHC, HHC and UMass Amherst were appropriated $40,200.
Colleen Condon, director of Volunteer Services at Mercy Medical Center, explained that the hospital's Commonwealth Corps members will be divided to provide service in a variety of departments and programs including the Brightside Treatment and Campus School, the Dress for Success Program, teen pregnancy programs and community education.
"I was very excited that they [the Commonwealth Corps Commission and the Massachusetts Service Alliance] were able to fund the full amount [in the grant application]," Condon said, adding that this ensured that volunteers serving at Mercy Medical Center will be able to fulfill a wide variety of community needs.
She noted that the grant allows for the teen pregnancy programs in Holyoke to expand into Springfield.
Jane Baatz, director of the VOC, explained that the 15 corps members serving with the Literacy Works Network will work to decrease adult illiteracy rates through tutoring students learning basic English, English as a second-language as well as computer literacy.
"The need for services far exceeds our abilities to meet them," she said. "Many more people are on the waiting lists than programs in the area can service. In order to give more in-depth services we need the extra people on hand."
Baatz noted that corps members will receive a stipend between $2,500 and $10,000 for their year of service, depending on their number of weekly hours. She added that there will also be a completion bonus for those who serve the full year.
Condon said Mercy Medical Center will take on five fulltime corps volunteers and seven part time volunteers. She noted that the fulltime members will each receive a $10,000 stipend and a $2,000 completion bonus; part time volunteers will receive $5,000 for their year of service and a $1,000 completion bonus.
Those looking to serve as a Commonwealth Corps member at Mercy Medical Center can contact Condon at 748-9075.
Those interested in volunteering at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center can call the center at 746-3655. Those who wish to apply to volunteer at the VOC should contact Baatz at 612-0206.
For more information about volunteer opportunities with HAP Inc. visit www.haphousing.org.
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