FRESNO, Calif. (KMJ/KFSN) — “AmeriCorps members are the lifeblood of nonprofit organizations,” said HandsOn Central California Executive Director Carol Davies.
Less than two weeks ago, the federally funded agency AmeriCorps had its budget slashed by the Department of Government Efficiency, also known as DOGE.
This move eliminates roughly $400 million worth of grant money, leading to the firing or laying off of 85 percent of the AmeriCorps workforce.
Davies said they receive a small amount of federal funding to support a group of AmeriCorps RSVP volunteers at their organization.
An RSVP volunteer is someone 55 years old or better. HandsOn helps manage the senior volunteers and spreads them throughout the Central Valley.
RSVP volunteer director Tish Standley said the RSVP group is there in times of need, like the 2023 Planada flooding.
“They really responded to that disaster so poignantly and so intentionally. They’re already engaged in their community, serving it on a regular basis with food distributions, activities for seniors, and then these torrential rains came and they just showed up,” said Standley.
HandsOn supports seven counties in Central California and sends their volunteers, including their AmeriCorps RSVP volunteers, to about 150 nonprofits in our community.
Standley, along with Davies and their team, are now brainstorming to see what can be done if AmeriCorps RSVP is forced to dismantle.
“We have the knowledge and the expertise for doing this work. I’m not going to go down without a fight.”
On Tuesday, First 5 in Madera announced that three AmeriCorps programs, Birth and Beyond, Foster Youth Initiative, and Prevent Abuse Through Home Visitation, were being immediately terminated.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said this move by DOGE is unlawful.
Bonta, along with 23 other Attorneys General, filed a lawsuit against President Trump’s administration over the termination of AmeriCorps.
“We won’t allow the President to demolish the best of who we are as a nation, the best of what we can be,” said Bonta.
This is the 16th lawsuit filed against the Trump administration by Bonta and others in the last 14 weeks.
HandsOn says they will have a better understanding of their contract with AmeriCorps around May 7.
In the meantime, the organization wants people to look at the volunteer work being done in their community and speak out to their government representatives.
For more information on how you can get involved, click here.
