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Montana University Students Win Support for Community Service – The Montana Campus Compact Receives $758,333 Grant

College students across the state will have the opportunity to
serve their communities and receive increased financial aid for their
efforts over the next several academic years.

The Montana Campus Compact
(MTCC) http://www.mtcompact.org , a statewide nonprofit organization, received notice that its
popular Campus Corps program will get a funding boost from the Corporation
for National and Community Service by way of $758,333 in competitive award
monies.

“This is a great honor for our organization—a testament to the great
service students in Montana have done and will continue to do,” said Dean
McGovern, Montana Campus Compact executive director, “this funding will
help more students gain access to higher education and increase their
civic involvement.”

For more than a decade, MTCC’s Campus Corps program has integrated
community service into the lives and curricula of students at Montana’s
public, private, two-year, four-year, tribal, and community colleges. The
program provides professional development training, citizenship
skill-building, and hands-on, real-world experience that enhances
education and fosters civic engagement in future college graduates. MTCC
supports the program by a unique array of funding from campus-community
partnerships, local nonprofits, federal and state sources, and the Montana
Commission on Community Service.

Once students enroll as MTCC Campus Corps members they serve on community
projects through local organizations such as Big Brothers-Big Sisters,
Habitat for Humanity, YWCA, Boys and Girls Clubs, and local school
districts. These engaged students serve in the neediest areas of the
state to mentor at-risk youth, assist the elderly, create community
gardens, implement fundraising events, clean up river beds and parks,
provide health/wellness education, build housing, conduct food, blood, and
organ drives, and most importantly help nonprofit organizations recruit
more volunteers to meet their goals.

Eric Cardella, MTCC Campus Corps Program Manager, is encouraged by this
opportunity to expand the program. “Our student members are tackling
critical needs in many underserved areas of our state,” Cardella said, “we
will now be able to put more hands on deck over the next three years.”

The new grant will allow MTCC to support the service efforts of more than
950 college students. The grant comes in part from the national
AmeriCorps budget that will help sustain the program beginning in autumn
2009 through summer 2012. Additional funding was awarded to MTCC through
the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act—aka the economic stimulus
money. This money will help MTCC provide training, support, living
allowances, and education awards for students, enrolled in the program,
who chose to complete a set number of service hours addressing community
needs.

The Montana Campus Compact is Montana’s largest higher education network
composed of 19 colleges and universities. MTCC is committed to renewing
the public purposes of higher education through community service,
service-learning, and civic engagement activities. MTCC programs encourage
college faculty, staff, and students to address social, economic,
educational, and environmental needs.

MTCC institutions include: Blackfeet Community College, Carroll College,
Dawson Community College, Flathead Valley Community College, Fort Belknap
College, Fort Peck Community College, Little Big Horn College, Miles
Community College, Montana State University-Billings, Montana State
University-Bozeman, Montana State University-Northern, Montana State
University Great Falls COT, Montana Tech of UM, Rocky Mountain College,
Salish Kootenai College, The University of Montana-Missoula, The
University of Montana-Western, The University of Montana-Helena COT,
University of Great Falls

###

Dean P. McGovern, Executive Director Montana Campus Compact

302 University Hall

Missoula, Montana 59812

PH: (406)243-5177

FAX: (406) 243-5407

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.mtcompact.org

Educating Citizens, Building Communities

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