Lansing - The Michigan Community Service Commission, which engages Michigan citizens in volunteer programs, including some affiliated with MSU, celebrated its 10th anniversary Tuesday.
Community service organizations from all across the state gathered beneath the Capitol dome to celebrate the tenure of the commission, which was supported by the National and Community Service Act of 1990 and the National Service Trust Act of 1994.
“Our goal is to engage Michigan citizens in volunteer service,” said Mary Grill, director of outreach for the commission, which receives its support from federal, state and private funding.
AmeriCorps, described by Grill as “kind of a domestic peace corps,” is funded through the commission, and about 1,000 people in Michigan work for that organization on a variety of projects.
One of those projects, 4-H Club Read, is based out of MSU Extension offices. “Michigan’s Reading Readiness Project,” as it’s dubbed, began in September 2000 as a result of commission funding.
The project’s key goal is to increase literacy skills of K-3 students and promote literacy through community service. Without the commission funding, the MSU program might be financially troubled.
“About 70 percent of our total project funding comes from the commission,” said Julie Chapin, one of the 4-H project’s directors. “We’re hopeful with the president’s emphasis on volunteerism and service that there’ll be increased funding in this area.”
She referred to President Bush, who in recent months has led the charge for volunteer boosts.
In the MSU program’s first year in operation, 2,624 youths participated in in-school projects and 1,761 participated out of school.
“The grant allowed us to really strengthen and create a thread of literacy education in our county,” Chapin said. “We’ve increased the number of counties involved from 12 to 15 in the past year.”
Another MSU program, Learn and Serve, also is funded directly through AmeriCorps.
Kyle Caldwell, executive director of the Michigan Community Service Commission, said MSU has a history of being involved in community outreach and was one of the first institutions to ever receive a grant from the commission.
Students always are likely volunteer candidates, he said.
“MSU is a great partner in this; they understand the ethic of service that we’re trying to promote here,” Caldwell said. “Service helps keep MSU connected to the community.”
