Members of ROCA Inc. in Chelsea joined more than 500 residents from across the state who descended on the State House Tuesday to declare their serious concern over potential cuts to funding that would ensure the continuation of critical services statewide.  Since 1994, the Massachusetts Service Alliance (MSA) has administered state grants that have provided Massachusetts nonprofits and cities and towns with AmeriCorps funding.   Last year, over 1,000 MSA-funded AmeriCorps members, including ROCA, served over a million hours in support of communities in need throughout the state. Through their service at 21 AmeriCorps sites, members leveraged an additional 16,000 volunteers who, in turn, served over 131,000 hours with these programs.

As the state looks to trim the FY10 budget, funding for these programs are in serious jeopardy.   As the state commission on community service and volunteerism, MSA is the gateway to federal AmeriCorps funding for AmeriCorps programs across the commonwealth.   Without state funding for MSA, over $10 million in federal grants and stimulus funds for AmeriCorps programs and over $10 million in private matching funds will be lost. “In this tough economic climate when the need for services is even greater, AmeriCorps members are building marketable and valuable skills while tutoring and mentoring youth, building affordable housing, cleaning parks and streams, and recruiting, training, and managing community volunteers.” said MSA’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Emily Haber. 

With the inception of City Year in 1988 and AmeriCorps in 1993, Massachusetts is the birthplace of the national service movement.   On April 21, 2009, President Obama signed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act into law.   As the largest expansion of civilian service since the Depression, Civilian Conservation Corps, the new law promises to usher in a new era of service and volunteering in America.   “Massachusetts has the opportunity to draw down millions of federal dollars as a result of the economic stimulus package, as well as the Serve America Act named for our own Senator Kennedy,” said Corporation for National and Community Service Chairman Alan Solomont. “I sincerely hope that legislators will make sure that the state is able to tap into those federal funds and continue to serve as a leader in the field of national service.”