Minnesota Reading Corps Launches Campaign to Recruit 350 AmeriCorps Members in 2008

Minnesota Reading Corps Launches Campaign to Recruit 350 AmeriCorps Members in
2008
MRC members to be placed at sites across the state to help at-risk students
learn to read

SAINT PAUL, Minn., April 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Minneapolis and Saint Paul may
be ranked first and third, respectively, on this year's list of America's Most
Literate Cities, but one out of every five Minnesota third graders doesn't
read at his or her grade level. To help ensure that all of the state's
children are on track to read, Minnesota Reading Corps has launched an
aggressive effort to enlist 350 people to make a difference in their
communities -- and their own lives.
Minnesota Reading Corps (http://www.theMLC.org/ReadingCorps) recruits and
trains AmeriCorps members to provide extra support for children who are at
risk for not reading at their grade level. Full-time and part-time positions
are available in locations around the state, including elementary schools,
Head Start programs, community preschools, child care centers and ECFE
classrooms. All positions require a one-year commitment, beginning in August.
"This is the most ambitious recruitment effort in our five-year history,"
says Sheila Piippo, Director of the Minnesota Reading Corps. "Despite our
successes, there's still a huge need for trained people to help Minnesota
children learn this critical skill." The goal is to dramatically expand the
program to reach 15,000 children over the next two years.
WHO ARE MRC AMERICORPS MEMBERS?
College students, recent graduates, and retirees make up the majority of
the state's current membership. In addition to receiving valuable hands-on
experience, MRC AmeriCorps members earn up to $4,725 to pay for college or to
pay back federal student loans, a modest living allowance and health
insurance. Members can also defer federal student loans while they serve. MRC
members surveyed frequently report that their career plans have been
positively influenced by their service and many plan to go back to college or
to shift their career to working with children.
"Joining MRC was the best decision I ever made," says Angie Osthus, a
2006-2007 MRC member placed at YWCA's Phillips Children's Center in
Minneapolis. "It opened my mind to so many opportunities that other jobs
couldn't have. I was able to go beyond my comfort zone and realize how much I
am capable of doing if I set my mind to it. And the kids are awesome -- if you
are able to reach them when they are young, give them the tools they need to
succeed in school, and to get them believing in themselves, that's
invaluable."
MRC places members as either a Classroom Member, embedded into a classroom
of children ages 3 to 5 to help kids develop early literacy skills in
preparation for kindergarten; a Literacy Coordinator, who works one-on-one
with children in kindergarten through third grade; or a Volunteer Coordinator,
who is placed in an elementary school to recruit, train and manage volunteers
who dedicate time to help young children learn to read. Members receive
extensive training and are equipped with effective literacy instruction
methods.
ABOUT MINNESOTA READING CORPS
Minnesota Reading Corps is a statewide initiative to help every Minnesota
child become a successful reader. The program matches trained AmeriCorps and
community volunteers with children from age 3 to third grade who are at risk
for not reading at grade level. AmeriCorps members either serve directly with
children to provide individualized literacy instruction or serve to recruit
community volunteer tutors to work one-on-one with children. Members serve in
multiple locations around the state. For more information, visit
http://www.theMLC.org/ReadingCorps or call (651) 645-2277.
MEDIA: For more information or to set up an interview, please contact Jen
Bellmont at Bellmont Partners Public Relations at (952) 233-0428 or
info@bellmontpartners.com
SOURCE Minnesota Reading Corps

Jen Bellmont of Bellmont Partners Public Relations, +1-952-233-0428,
info@bellmontpartners.com, for Minnesota Reading Corps