By Jannan Rawe

BYU students make a difference in the community while earning internship credit through the Americorps program, but the number of students involved in the program may be cut this year due to a federal budget crisis.

"We like to compare ourselves to the Peace Corps," said Debbie MacKenzie, assistant director of BYU's Americorps program.

"We call ourselves the sister to the Peace Corps because the Peace Corps takes people who are volunteering and doing service outside the country, whereas Americorps does service within this nation and its different communities."

The federal budget crisis will cause the number of individuals involved in the program to decrease significantly.

In 2002 the budget for BYU's program included funding for 230 members, but this year the number may dwindle to 125 members, MacKenzie said.

The crisis arose as a result of financial and management practices on the federal level, according to the Corporation for National and Community Service.

"The federal program has over-committed itself and now is in a bind, so all of the community organizations that came to depend on the funding are in a bind as well," said Scott G. Snow, executive director of the Utah Commission on Volunteers. "We're grateful for the federal money, but their management errors have caused thousands of community organizations to struggle."

Typically, Americorps members receive a monthly stipend. The amount of money a member receives depends on the number of service hours he or she completes.

"Our program [at BYU] is quite different than some of the other Americorps programs," MacKenzie said.

The Americorps program at BYU runs through the education department and consists of interns working in nonprofit agencies. The majority of members are teachers, social workers and students involved in recreation management, MacKenzie said.

Members participate in different projects.

The type of service performed by the volunteers is as broad as the needs of the community.

One focus of the group is to promote literacy in the community. Students can start their own literacy program or participate in an already existing program.

One student helped a friend with cerebral palsy write a story about his life and travel to schools to educate children about people with disabilities, MacKenzie said.

Another group of students organized a divorce group for children to discuss the events occurring in their lives.

"There are a lot of great things going on in the community," MacKenzie said.

BYU's Americorps program is an education award only program.

After completing a specified number of service hours, students are granted an education award that serves as scholarship money. Students do not receive a monthly stipend because they are paid in their internships.

"The agreement we have with the national program is that they will be BYU students, they'll be interning in Utah and they'll be paid by the nonprofit groups they're interning for, but on top of that they'll be doing extra service," MacKenzie said. "They have to be an intern. That's what the grant calls for."

That grant may be significantly reduced, depending on the state's decision.

The federal program decides on a budget and distributes funding to the states. Each state then decides which programs will receive funding.

BYU's budget proposal is still being reviewed, and an announcement is expected within the next two months, Snow said.

BYU's program saw a decline in funds from $37,000 last year to $29,000 this year.

"We don't know what the budget will be," MacKenzie said. "We're pretty much in the dark here."

Other programs around the state are also feeling a financial crunch.

A successful literacy program will not be able to expand this year and will not receive funding from Americorps, Snow said.

Other programs that will be cut include at-risk youth mentoring and service-learning projects.

"We need to work together to ensure that the gaps in service left behind where Americorps members had once served will be filled by community volunteers and other local community organizations and human service programs," Snow said.

A the federal level, the Corporation for National and Community Service is urging Congress to pass a bill to generate funds for the program.

Congress is considering a CNCS request for $200 million in supplemental funds. The House of Representatives approved $100 million in supplemental funds, but the measure failed in the Senate, Snow said.

The financial future of BYU's program remains uncertain.

MacKenzie hopes that someday the program can fund itself with private donations so it wouldn't have to depend so much on federal funds.

"Americorps members are tackling some of our nation's toughest problems: helping children learn to read, feeding the homeless, caring for frail elderly, rebuilding communities struck by disasters and mobilizing other volunteers to reach out with compassion and generosity to help those in need," said Rosie Mauk, national director of Americorps.

"We will continue to do everything we can to strengthen this valuable program and offer more opportunities for Americans to serve their communities and country."



Copyright Brigham Young University 3 Sep 2003