Organizations receiving the grants include: La Casa de Esperanza, Inc., Waukesha, Wis.; Presbyterian Community Center, John Little, Founder, Inc., Louisville, Ky.; the Regional Youth/Adult Substance Abuse Project, Bridgeport, Conn.; the Texas Southern University Center on Aging, Houston, Texas; and the West Side Ecumenical Ministry, Cleveland, Ohio. The organizations offer a variety of services, including educational programs for disadvantaged youth and crime-prevention programs in inner-city areas.

"Once again the GE Fund is bringing good things to AmeriCorps, and we're very grateful for the support," said Leslie Lenkowsky, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, the parent agency of AmeriCorps. "Through these grants, the GE Fund helps local AmeriCorps programs meet critical needs and increase citizen involvement. This is an outstanding example of public-private partnership that is at the heart of AmeriCorps."

The GE Fund (www.gefund.org), the philanthropic foundation of the General Electric Company, invests in improving educational quality and access and in strengthening community organizations in GE communities around the world. All told, GE, the GE Fund and GE employees and retirees contributed over $100 million to community and educational institutions last year. The GE Fund has provided more than $1 million in contributions to local AmeriCorps programs in GE communities in recent years.

More than 250,000 people have served in AmeriCorps since it was launched in 1994. Members typically serve full-time for a year and can choose where and how they serve. They receive a modest living allowance, health insurance, student loan deferment and training. Upon completion of their service they receive a $4,725 education award to help pay for college, graduate school, vocational training or to pay off student loans. For information on AmeriCorps programs and how to join, visit www.americorps.org.

As part of his State of the Union address on January 29, 2002, President Bush called on all Americans to dedicate at least two years of their lives to volunteer service. He also created the USA Freedom Corps, a White House initiative to foster a culture of citizenship, service, and responsibility and help all Americans answer the President's Call to Service. As part of this initiative, President Bush has proposed expanding AmeriCorps by 25,000 members next year and is supporting reforms to make AmeriCorps more responsive to state and local needs and more accountable and effective.