Pew Charitable Trusts gives $375,000 to support local community projects

The grant will allow 80 young people to participate in the City Year in Philadelphia service program. On June 16, the Pew Charitable Trusts announced a grant of $375,000 to support City Year in Philadelphia -- a national program which puts young people to work in community service projects. The grant from Pew -- one of the nation's largest philanthropic foundations -- will enable 80 people between the ages of 17 and 24 from a range of diverse backgrounds to spend a year working full time in various Philadelphia communities. The 80 members will form the Philadelphia Corp, which will be launched September 30. They will provide help to local schools and community groups while developing a range of professional skills and a sense of civic responsibility. Pew's gift to City Year is in keeping with one of the goals of the Presidents' Summit on America's Future held in Philadelphia last April -- to substantially increase the number of youth involved in community service by the year 2000. City Year is a public-private partnership supported by the AmeriCorps national service program and contributions from national and local corporations and foundations. City Year members -- who have been recruited by a staff based in Philadelphia since early this year -- will concentrate on tutoring and after-school programs in Philadelphia public schools. Members will also organize a "Young Heroes" program to involve eighth graders in community service projects and neighborhood programs that encourage local residents to clean up their streets, build playgrounds, paint murals and plant community gardens. Corps members will receive a weekly stipend of $135 and are eligible for up to $4,725 in awards for college tuition or job training when they complete the program. City Year started as a 50-person summer program in Boston founded by two Harvard Law School graduates nine years ago and has grown to encompass over 750 volunteers in cities across the country. Pew President and CEO Rebecca Rimel explained that "an investment in City Year is a development in our City." "Our roots are in Philadelphia and we want to make sure that this alliance of young people committing time and talent to help out neighborhoods and other youngsters is a success," she said. "City Year plays an enormously important role in engaging this country's youth and citizens to organize and solve community problems and to become more active citizens." Pew is based in Philadelphia and supports nonprofit activities in culture, education, the environment, health and human services, public policy and religion in addition to making strategic investments to encourage civic engagement in addressing critical issues and effecting social change.