photo by: Bremen Keasey

A sign for the Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence's location inside New York Elementary School, located at 936 New York St. The Club is one of 10 programs with AmeriCorps volunteers in Kansas that were terminated, effective Friday, impacting over 200 people.

Story updated at 4:12 p.m. Tuesday, April 29:

Federal cuts to AmeriCorps mean 10 active projects in Kansas have been terminated, affecting more than 200 AmeriCorps volunteers across the state. Nonprofits in Douglas County say it will cause “severe damage,” with 80 positions being cut and a financial impact of over $400,000.

The Kansas Volunteer Commission was informed by the Department of Government Efficiency on Friday that multiple AmeriCorps programs were canceled mid-term. Jessica Dorsey, the executive director of the Kansas Volunteer Commission, told the Journal-World that 10 active AmeriCorps state grants were canceled, immediately stopping work for the active AmeriCorps members in the state. Those programs were planned to continue through the end of July. Additionally, three planned programs that were scheduled to start in August were also terminated.

In total, over 200 volunteers in Kansas are affected by the cuts. Dorsey said a total of 260 AmeriCorps members had been approved for the 10 active grants. Of those, 48 people had already completed their assignments when the cancellations were announced, but Dorsey said there were 145 active members whose work was terminated effective Friday, and an additional 67 people who weren’t active members but now will not be able to serve with AmeriCorps because of the cuts.

AmeriCorps, which was founded as a federal agency in 1993 to promote national service and volunteerism, has sent its members across the country to assist communities as volunteers. Some of the group’s work includes responding to disasters, promoting environmental stewardship, assisting veterans and military families and supporting education.

The programs in Kansas where AmeriCorps volunteers’ assignments were terminated include:

• The Ballard Center in Lawrence

• The Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence

• The Boys and Girls Club of Manhattan

• The Center for Supportive Communities in Douglas and Wyandotte counties

• Derby Public Schools

• The Educator Academy

• The Teacher’s College Literacy Center at Emporia State University

• The Kansas Association for Conservation & Environmental Education in Manhattan

• The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas

• The Wichita State University Community Engagement Institute

In addition to these, Dorsey said the three planned programs that would have begun in August would have worked with the Eudora School District, the Fort Hays State school of education and the Wichita State school of education.

Dorsey said the cancellation of the programs leaves the Kansas Volunteer Commission “with a lot of unknowns at this time.” She added the vast majority of programs with AmeriCorps workers focused on education and youth initiatives, which will impact people across the state.

“This is a real loss for services for our youth,” Dorsey said.

The cancellation of the grants creates uncertainty about whether the Kansas Volunteer Commission — a program with the State Department of Education — will continue. Dorsey said the commission has seven full-time employees, but its operational grants only run through the end of June and it’s unclear what next year’s allocation looks like.

In Douglas County, there were four agencies directly impacted by the cuts: the Ballard Center, the Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence, the Center for Supportive Communities and the United Way of Kaw Valley. In a joint press release, the agencies said that they had seen 80 AmeriCorps positions eliminated and a combined financial impact of just over $400,000. The United Way of Kaw Valley did not have any AmeriCorps volunteers working for it, but it did have an AmeriCorps grant that was terminated.

The statement was signed by leaders from all four agencies — Kyle Roggenkamp, the CEO of the Ballard Center; Laci Maltbie, the CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence; Kelsey Dachman, the executive director and co-founder of the Center for Supportive Communities; and Kathy Smith, the vice president of Douglas County initiatives for United Way of Kaw Valley.

“This is yet another devastating blow to our local nonprofit community’s ability to serve children and families,” the statement read. “As funds continue to be discontinued or reduced, we must come together to ensure that we can continue to provide a lifeline to families.”

Nonprofits frequently turn to the federal AmeriCorps program for help in filling their staffing needs. Most AmeriCorps members serve 15 to 35 hours a week and receive a modest stipend and education awards for their service. Many people who work in nonprofits full-time get their start through AmeriCorps.

Out of the local agencies affected, the Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence was hit hardest by the decision, with an estimated impact of $300,000. The club had 55 AmeriCorps positions staffed for spring and summer child care programs, which are “all absolutely necessary” to operate those programs. The cancellation of the grants means the club would have to hire the members as staff.

The Journal-World received an email from someone who received an offer to work with the Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence through AmeriCorps. The email told the applicant it was “no longer able to move forward with the AmeriCorps offer” because of the unexpected elimination of programs through the agency. It did offer the person the ability to apply directly with the Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence to work in the summer program.

The Center for Supportive Communities had 20 AmeriCorps positions who served as “the frontline support for children and families in crisis.” The cutting of the grant has a $56,000 fiscal impact and affects the agency’s staffing and will “devastate the families, schools, and community agencies who rely on these services every day.”

The Ballard Center has five AmeriCorps positions that help address food insecurity. The work done by those members included supporting the agency’s food pantries — used by over 8,000 individuals annually — cooking at the center’s kitchen and leading a garden to table initiative that added fresh produce options for the early education program.

Because AmeriCorps members are not eligible for unemployment benefits, the release said, they are “left to navigate next steps with no support from the federal government.”

The United Way of Kaw Valley saw its $18,000 Volunteer Generation Fund grant from the Kansas Volunteer Commission terminated. The loss of the grant will limit the ability of the United Way to recruit and place volunteers.

In their joint statement, the agencies ask the public to support the AmeriCorps members, families and agencies impacted through the cancellations. The statement asked the public to contact local legislators and the White House to act as a way to help support children, families and community organizations in Douglas County.

“With your support, we will fight to protect our neighbors, sustain our programs, and restore the workforce pipeline that AmeriCorps has so long represented,” the group said.