Press Kit
• One of the largest full time Americorps programs in the state
• Over 70 participating non-profit sponsors
• 85 full-time/15 part-time members
• Incorporates 3Americorps priority areas
(Education, Environment, and Human Needs)
• Members have ranged in age from 18 - 77
• At least 63% of the members have a bachelors degree or higher
• At Least 92% have some college credits
• Program year typically runs from mid September to August
• Full-time members who successfully complete 1700 hours earn an education award of $4,725
• Part-time members who successfully complete 900 hours earn an education award of $2,362.50
• Managed by a team of 5 staff members: A program manager, 3 regional coordinators, and a secretarial assistant
• Serving rural and urban locations
• Serving 12 counties in Southwest/South-central PA covering 10,000 sq. miles
• Spanning 4 congressional districts: 3, 9, 5, 12
• In addition to regular placement activities members serve in community service projects throughout the region
• Program recognized nationally for research contributions in the area of childhood lead poisoning
• Program known internationally for children’s text published “My Mommy’s in Prison”
• PMSC Stream Team winner of the Governor’s Excellence Award for Environmental Education
• Over 30,000 hours of community volunteer service has been generated through the PMSCThe AmeriCorps program was created in the spirit of community service that has been a traditional and integral part of our American history. In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt organized the Civilian Conservation Corps. Following WWII, the GI Bill was passed, and service was tied to educational benefits. In 1960, President John F. Kennedy sought to relieve international distress and poverty through the Peace Corps. And in 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson was instrumental in the creation of the Vista program as a Domestic Peace Corps.
Experimental youth, and senior service programs sprang up all over the country during the 1970’s and 1980’s, depending primarily on the political climate. With this movement, the private and nonprofit sectors began to play a substantial role in both advocacy and the development of volunteer service.
In 1990 President G.H. Bush introduced the National And Community Service Act as a way of formalizing citizen service. In September of 1993, as a means to further consolidate and bring collaboration to the many service programs that existed, President William Clinton, with strong bipartisan support, signed the National and Community Service Trust Act into law. This law created a national headquarters that would administer the funds set aside to support community service programs including Vistas, The Senior Corps, Learn and Serve, and AmeriCorps.
In the early part of 1994, Congressmen John Murtha called a community meeting to propose the submission of a grant that would allow this rural region of Pennsylvania to support a branch of AmeriCorps. As a result of that initial meeting, the Appalachia Intermediate Unit 8 became the administering agency for the regional AmeriCorps initiative.
The Pennsylvania Mountain Service Corps was created in 1994, and began with a 40 member Corps that would be partnered with non-profit and governmental organizations across 10 Pennsylvania counties, (Armstrong, Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Fayette, Fulton, Huntingdon, Indiana, Somerset, and Westmoreland.) The Corps was designed to address all four major AmeriCorps initiatives, Education, Human Needs, Public Safety, and Environment.
Today the Pennsylvania Mountain Service Corps has grown to 135 members, covers 12 counties, and has a staff of 5. Since its inception, there have been hundreds of students tutored in math and reading, thousands of seniors and families provided with services that would have otherwise gone undone, hundreds of after school and educational activities presented to at-risk youths, hundreds of miles of water tested and cleaned up, thousands of volunteer hours generated, and a unique collaborative effort of community organizations formed.
In 2001, following the tragedies of September 11th, President Bush further consolidated many of the national service programs under the USA Freedom Corps, and added a Citizens Corps that would help with homeland security measures. American citizens were also urged to devote 4,000 hours of service to their country over a lifetime.
With the continued support of our community partner organizations, and the commitment to service, the Pennsylvania Mountain Service Corps “will get things done”.
Contact: Carol L. Vogel, PMSC Program Manager
PHONE: 814-472-7690
FAX: 814-472-5033
Created in 1994 as a branch of the national AmeriCorps service program.
work on lead poisoning.
members.
Ebensburg, PA - Southwestern Pennsylvania is a region abundant in scenic waterways, rolling hills, rural villages, and ethnic influenced urban centers. But, not unlike other communities it has challenges too. The coal, steel, and railroad industries that once thrived in the region are slowly disappearing leaving instead abandoned mines, streams polluted with acid mine drainage and lands marked with rusting train rails; the region has a rapidly growing population of seniors with unique needs; and, our communities have children who need additional educational and emotional support.
Meeting challenges head on by determination and ingenuity has been the legacy of the American spirit, and was the concept behind the AmeriCorps program. During 1993, shortly after The Corporation For National And Community Service and AmeriCorps were created, regional political representatives, organizations, and concerned citizens met to discuss bringing a branch of AmeriCorps to our area. As a result, Congressman Murtha’s staff teamed with the Appalachia Intermediate Unit 8, to write the grant that would create The Pennsylvania Mountain Service Corps. The original Corps began serving in October 1994 with a 40 member team assigned to over 30 nonprofit organizations in 10 counties. Corps members addressed environmental, public safety, educational, and community needs.
Since 1994 over 700 citizens have served our communities through the PA Mountain Service Corps. AmeriCorps members have tested, monitored, and helped to clean thousands of miles of public waterways effected by mine drainage and initiated or completed over 100 conservation projects; provided outreach services to the elderly, homebound, and military veterans; tutored or mentored over 10,000 children K-12; distributed food and clothing or helped to find shelter for hundreds of families in crisis; and generated an additional cadre of over 5,000 community volunteers who contributed at least 15,000 hours of community service. PMSC members have also been recognized locally with many awards for leadership in addressing community needs; state wide with the Governor’s Excellence Award for environmental education; and nationally for our contributions to the awareness of childhood lead poisoning.
Today, the Pennsylvania Mountain Service Corps has grown to 88 members serving with over 70 community organizations. Full-time members are required to serve 1700 hours over a one- year period, and can serve up to two years in the corps. In return for their service, members receive a modest living stipend and an educational stipend to be used to pay off student loans or to advance their education. Members must be at least 17, however, the PMSC generally has members ranging from their early twenties to senior citizens. Applications to sponsor a member or to become a member, are available at our web site at www.pmsc.org , or by calling the AmeriCorps office at 814-472-7690. ###