RECENTLY RE-FUNDED, AMERICORPS PROGRAM NOW SEEKING VOLUNTEERS

First the question was whether there would be an AmeriCorps for 1995-96.

Now that grant money is approved, the question is how many people will want to become members. Coordinators are trying to get 19 full-time and 17 part-time volunteers recruited by mid-September.

The program, started by President Bill Clinton in 1993, came to Cape Girardeau in 1994. AmeriCorps members work to help communities become safer, healthier and more environmentally aware. In return, some members receive a small living allowance, and all earn money for education.

Cape Girardeau coordinators work out of Southeast Missouri State University and serve Bollinger, Scott, Stoddard, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Dunklin and Cape Girardeau counties.

There are 11 part-time and 14 full-time members serving in schools, health departments, libraries and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. They tutor at-risk children, clean up parks and provide resources for pregnant teens, among other tasks.

The only requirements are U.S. citizenship, a high-school diploma or agreement to obtain one, and 17 or older. Members come from all walks of life and include college graduates, single mothers and people working on their GED.

"This is a job-training opportunity for people," project associate Michael Harris said. "They are placed in agencies where they normally couldn't work, and get an understanding of what goes on there."

Clinton's project has received criticism at the federal level, but Harris, who left a counseling job to work with AmeriCorps, said he thinks the program is positive.

"Rather than adding to all the destruction going on in some neighborhoods, this program is creating a new generation of people," he said. "Hopefully, if the program continues, the message of volunteering and community service will catch on."

Jeanine Jepsen, a trainer with AmeriCorps, said the amount of money spent on the program -- about $420,000 for Cape Girardeau in federal, state and county funds -- is low when one considers the number of people involved and the amount of work being accomplished.

Harris and Jepsen hope to interest new members through the media, Job Service and word-of-mouth.

Jeff Rush and Jerry Landewe are walking advertisements for AmeriCorps.

Rush, a Cape Girardeau resident, is a part-time member who recently earned a degree in law enforcement, works a full-time job and is the father of twin boys. Still, he said he loves the time spent in AmeriCorps work, serving on the Community Impact Team and helping at-risk children function in society.

Landewe is a full-time member of the Environmental Impact Team and works at Trail of Tears State Park. He plans to use the money earned in AmeriCorps to become a secondary education teacher.

"The education money was the reason I did it initially," Landewe said. "Now that I'm coming to the end of my year, I can look back and see what I've done."

For information about AmeriCorps, call Harris or Jepsen at 651-5104.