ACE News
University of Texas at Austin's AmeriCorps Program Joins Other Groups in Pledge to Serve Local Community
October 2008
The AmeriCorps program at The University of Texas at Austin, AmeriCorps for Community Engagement and Education (ACEE), joined other Austin-area AmeriCorps groups at the annual swearing-in ceremony as members made a public declaration of their commitment to service.
Over 300 area AmeriCorps members will "get things done for America," working with organizations including ACEE, 4-H Capital, American YouthWorks, Capital Area Food Bank of Texas, Catholic Charities of Central Texas, College Forward, Go Centers, Goodwill Industries, Habitat for Humanity, and Keep Austin Housed. Participants gathered Friday, October 3 at the south steps of the State Capitol for the swearing-in ceremony.
Rosa Moreno-Mahoney, associate director of Service and Volunteerism with OneStar Foundation, officially welcomed this cohort of AmeriCorps members to Austin. Heather McKissick, president of Leadership Austin, gave the keynote address. State Representative Elliott Naishtat and a few current AmeriCorps members shared stories of their AmeriCorps experiences with the group. AmeriCorps alumni led the swearing in of the 2008-09 cohort.
The University of Texas at Austin is home to a nationally recognized AmeriCorps program, AmeriCorps for Community Engagement and Education (ACEE), which is a program of the Charles A. Dana Center in the College of Natural Sciences. Since 1994, ACEE has involved over 450 young men and women—including almost 300 University of Texas at Austin students—in research-based literacy support for young struggling readers in 12 low-income schools in the Austin Independent School District.
During the 2008-09 school year, 28 full-time and 58 part-time ACEE literacy tutors will provide over 65,000 hours of literacy tutoring and classroom support for 8 low-income elementary and prekindergarten schools in AISD. Most of the part-time ACEE tutors are current University students who work with ACEE 8 to 12 hours a week while also carrying a full load of classes.
AmeriCorps provides an opportunity for citizens of all ages to commit to a year of service to the community in exchange for a modest living allowance and an education award at the end of the term. Austin AmeriCorps members will provide almost a half million hours of service this year in the areas of education, disaster relief, case management for the homeless, and improving and preserving parks and recreation areas.