FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 11, 2007

Contact: Bruce Bailey (314) 652-6115 / bruce@americorps-stl.org

Saint Louis, MO -- Following widespread flooding in Kansas and Missouri and a devastating tornado in Kansas that essentially wiped out a community, AmeriCorps members were quick on the scene to help with recovery efforts – and more are on the way. A Saint Louis AmeriCorps team of 15 members, led by program director Bruce Bailey, has arrived in Greensburg, KS, where more than 90 percent of the buildings were destroyed by a tornado last week. The AmeriCorps members are supporting efforts by the Salvation Army and FEMA, including coordinating responders and serving in shelters where residents have been staying since the tornado struck.

Bailey, a veteran of dozens of disasters over the last 15 years, said the Greensburg site is among the worst he has seen. Because of the level of destruction, “household hazardous waste and chemicals are everywhere. There are some houses that miraculously made it, but every single business was destroyed, and there are no services of any type,” Bailey said. After Bailey’s request for additional AmeriCorps help, an AmeriCorps NCCC team from the Denver campus is being deployed to the area. The team is scheduled to arrive today.

In preparation for AmeriCorps Week, May 13 to 20, the St. Louis AmeriCorps members had planned to participate in a Habitat for Humanity AmeriCorps build-a-thon in the Gulf Coast, where so many of the organization’s members have been deployed for the last two years. “We had to change our focus from participating in Biloxi for these pressing issues,” Bailey said.

In Missouri, meanwhile, six other AmeriCorps St. Louis members are staffing a hotline designed to coordinate volunteers and offers of donated goods that are pouring in following devastating floods. Those affected by the storm may also contact the number to receive referrals and answers to questions. The hotline was initially set up in the winter after the state was struck by ice storms. Once the crisis was over, state emergency officials asked the AmeriCorps St. Louis organization to staff the hotline in future incidents. The donation lines are staffed from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and messages will be returned. The hotline number is 888/377-2100.

AmeriCorps is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, which also oversees Senior Corps and Learn and Serve America. The Corporation’s mission is to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering. For more information, visit http://www.nationalservice.gov.

The work done on St. Louis Serves day can be comparable to that of superhuman characters- as hefty done in a day projects are taken on by our heroic volunteers who come out in great support of the St. Louis Area Community. As part of a national service program, AmeriCorps St. Louis (ACSTL) strives to make lasting and meaningful connections with the St. Louis Community. Whether tutoring and mentoring the inner city youth of our public school system, or helping to rid the community of the West Nile virus through our Vector program, AmeriCorps St. Louis has a lasting year-round impact on our community. Along with a consistent presence year round, ACSTL has hosted St. Louis Serves Day for the past four years—a city wide event to encourage youth, families, business, and organizations to join together for a day of service and celebration.

            This year, on April 21, 2007, ACSTL teamed with twelve host sites and over 200 volunteers. The dedicated host sites and colossal projects included:

Haven of Grace- Volunteers helped with cleaning and maintenance of their building, along with mulching, cutting shrubs, weeding and potting plants in their garden.

Women’s Safe House- Volunteers helped to provide a fun birthday party for the children at the shelter; in addition volunteers accompanied the women off-site for a day of pampering.

St. Louis SCORES- Volunteers partnered with local artist C’babi Bayoc to paint family portraits on boards that were installed in schools and abandoned buildings throughout the city.

Annie’s Hope: The Bereavement Center for Kids- Volunteers participated in a bowling party with children and teenagers who are grieving the death of someone significant in their lives. The event gave children a chance to connect with others, have fun, and become more confident in themselves.

St. Louis Earth Day- Volunteers were heavily involved in setting up for the 2007 St. Louis Earth Day Festival held in Forest Park on April 22. The volunteers participated in a wide variety of activities which sometimes required heavy lifting, directing incoming shipments, unloading tables/ equipment, setting up stages, organizing and cleaning up the park, and helping to build an interactive maze display.

The International Institute- The purpose of the trip was to introduce new St. Louisans (immigrant/refugees) to various attractions of the area, specifically the St. Louis Zoo. The volunteers helped the Institute staff coordinate the trip goers as well as serve as English conversation partners. This experience offered a unique and fun experience for the volunteers.

Gateway Greening- Volunteers assisted the Gateway Greening staff in harvesting and planting, growing seedlings, and preparing for ‘The Great Perennial Divide’ annual event held on April 13-20. This event provides neighborhoods that are trying to transform with free plants in hopes of beautifying the neighborhood.

CAMP (Community Arts and Media Project)- Some volunteers spent the morning organizing and cleaning the bike shop and stripping bike frames for parts. During the afternoon kids program, volunteers helped assist neighborhood kids with bike repairs.

Other volunteers assisted with a variety of tasks in the community garden, from transplanting starts, to weeding, building a larger compost bin and turning new beds.

Father Dickson Cemetery- Father Dickson Cemetery is the resting place of many freed slaves and their descendents. Volunteers helped to restore and preserve this historically significant African-American cemetery. It lacks perpetual care and depends on volunteers to repair, restore and preserve its history. Volunteers removed the old paint, painted the gate entrance, washed down the house gate, planted flowers and also placed mulch around the headstones. St. Louis University High School students showed up once again in great numbers and their help went a long way in preserving the beauty of the cemetery.

Habitat for Humanity- Volunteers participated in light demolition and cleaning up of the Mark Twain Community Center being built in a new Habitat neighborhood. Participants helped to knock out dry wall, pull out ceiling tiles, scrape paint, and help to do overall preliminary restoration of areas of the building for the contractors to follow- up.

Dunbar Elementary- Volunteers from St. Louis University helped paint the school blacktop with popular children’s’ games like four squares and hop scotch.

Special thanks are due to the following groups for helping to keep the St. Louis spirit of community service alive through funding and consistent volunteer efforts!

Nestle-Purina

Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP

Tyco/Healthcare Malinckrodt

Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority

St. Louis University

SLU High School

Sigma Kappa Sorority

Chaminade High School

AmeriCorps St. Louis Members

Our volunteers were as varied as our projects and we can not forget the plethora of individuals throughout the community who made an appearance with their spirit and flexibility in full force.