Through a partnership grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) and funding from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), The Episcopal Church will enlist 10 AmeriCorps positions who will work with Episcopal Migration Ministries in 10 refugee resettlement affiliate organization offices to recruit and manage local volunteers to support refugee resettlement programming.
“The grant is a unique partnership and will support AmeriCorps members in eight states to further the mission of Episcopal Migration Ministries to resettle refugees,” explained Deborah Stein, director of Episcopal Migration Ministries. “This innovative new program will enlist AmeriCorps members to engage in a year of volunteer development and other capacity-building activities at one of ten Episcopal Migration Ministries’ affiliate offices across the United States.”
Resettlement sites
The AmeriCorps positions will be placed in the following resettlement sites:
- Refugee Focus, Episcopal Diocese of Arizona
- Interfaith Refugee & Immigration Services of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles
- Episcopal Migration Ministries – Miami, Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida
- Agency for New Americans, Episcopal Diocese of Idaho
- Episcopal Migration Ministries – Wichita, Episcopal Diocese of Kansas
- Interfaith Refugee Ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina, New Bern and Wilmington offices
- Bridge Refugee Services, Chattanooga and Knoxville offices, Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee
- Episcopal Diocese of Olympia Refugee Resettlement Office
Among the duties of the AmeriCorps members will be to work in the local resettlement office and reach out to the community in order to expand the number of volunteers serving refugee arrivals, build the volunteer program capacity through improved training and volunteer support, and match volunteer skills to the needs of these new Americans.
For information about the program contact Allison Duvall, Episcopal Migration Ministries Manager of Church Relations and Engagement, Allison Duvall 212-716-6027.
Funding
The Office of Refugee Resettlement is committing funds for member support and administration. AmeriCorps members will receive a living allowance plus benefits for full time service (1,700 service hours over the course of a full year).
In addition to this funding, CNCS will make available to the Episcopal Church $57,300 in Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards for those in AmeriCorps funded by these grants. After completing a full term of service, members receive an award of $5,730 to pay educational costs at eligible post-secondary educational institutions or to repay qualified student loans.
Applications
Applications are now being accepted for the 10 positions. Information and application instructions are available here
The Episcopal Church values diversity of culture and thought and seeks talented, qualified employees regardless of race, gender, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, age, gender identity and expression, or any other protected classification under Federal, State or Municipal law as well as the Canons of the Episcopal Church and resolutions of the Episcopal Church General Convention. We are proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer.
Episcopal Migration Ministries
Episcopal Migration Ministries is the refugee resettlement program of the Episcopal Church. Each year the Episcopal Church works in partnership with its affiliate network, along with dioceses, faith communities and volunteers, to welcome refugees from conflict zones across the globe.
AmeriCorps
AmeriCorps operates as a public-private partnership that leverages significant amounts of outside resources to stretch the federal dollar and increase community impact.
“AmeriCorps members are improving the lives of millions of citizens and having a positive and lasting impact on the toughest challenges facing our communities,” said Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. “While they serve others, AmeriCorps members also expand opportunity for themselves – gaining skills and experience to jumpstart their careers. We congratulate the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society for their strong application, and thank all AmeriCorps members for their dedication to service.”
AmeriCorps engages 75,000 members in intensive service annually to serve through nonprofit, faith-based, and community organizations at 25,000 locations across the country. These members help communities tackle pressing problems while mobilizing millions of volunteers for the organizations they serve. Since 1994, more than 900,000 Americans have provided more than 1 billion hours of service addressing critical challenges from poverty and hunger to disasters and the dropout crisis.
AmeriCorps is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, the Social Innovation Fund, and the Volunteer Generation Fund, and leads the President’s national call to service initiative, United We Serve. For more information, visit https://americorps.gov/.
The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society is the legal and canonical name under which The Episcopal Church is incorporated, conducts business and carries out mission.