R.I. Campus Compact awarded $345,000 for VISTA program

PROVIDENCE – The Corporation for National and Community Service has awarded a $345,000 grant to Rhode Island Campus Compact to bring 23 new AmeriCorps VISTA members into the state to help build campus-community partnerships supporting education and economic opportunity.
Under the direction of Providence College, Campus Compact will use the grant to help VISTA members develop community-based and campus-based resources, including connecting with student volunteers, faculty teaching service-learning courses and community Federal Work Study programs.
The grant is the largest in the history of Campus Compact’s VISTA program and the largest in the state, the organization said in a release.
“We are thrilled that all of Rhode Island’s colleges and universities have come together to support national service and building better communities in our state,” said Campus Compact Executive Director Carie Hetzberg. “Rhode Island Campus Compact looks forward to sharing real impact and change through these VISTA members and newly formed campus-community partnerships.”
VISTA host sites for 2014-15 will include Providence College, the Community College of Rhode Island, the Rhode Island School of Design, Rhode Island College, Roger Williams University, Salve Regina University, the University of Rhode Island, the Blackstone Academy Charter School, College Unbound, College Visions, the Paul Cuffee School, Breakthrough Providence and First Star Academy.
“This grant aligns perfectly with what we do here at Providence College,” said Providence College President Rev. Brian J. Shanley. “We want to create good citizens for the next generation, and we want our students to be actively engaged in community service. This grant will help provide the resources to support some of our goals along those lines.”
For more information about the campus compact and the AmeriCorps Volunteers In Service To America program, visit www.ricompact.org.

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