WCMCA receives grant to support volunteer efforts for seniors
ST. PAUL – Six local service agencies, including one that serves Stevens County, have received grants of more than $700,000 to support volunteer opportunities for seniors.
West Central Minnesota Communities Action (WCMCA), an organization serving Stevens, Douglas, Grant, Traverse and Pope counties, has received up to $55,066 through a grant funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS).
As many as 564 volunteers could be impacted by these funds, which support Minnesota Lt. Governor Yvonne Prettner Solon’s ongoing efforts to empower and connect senior citizens with opportunities to improve their communities through service.
Rep. Jay McNamar, who represents the area, is happy to have local organizations creating strong communities.
“There is nothing more powerful in our communities than getting out and volunteering for others,” said McNamar. “Not only are you putting in good hard work for a great cause, but you end up feeling a very special connection that project even after your finished. I think West Central Minnesota Community Action deserves a ton of credit for bringing these dollars into our communities so we can all make that connection to the places we live.”
West Central Minnesota Communities Action is a resource agency dedicated to reducing the effects of poverty, helping people to achieve self-sufficiency, and improving the quality of rural life. They are based out of Elbow Lake.
CNCS awarded the funds as part of a competitive grant process for RSVP, one of three Senior Corps programs administered by CNCS. Established in 1971, RSVP engages Americans age 55 and over in volunteer opportunities across the country. These volunteers are a critical resource to the volunteer response to everything from hunger to natural disasters. Senior Corps is a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that engages more than four million American of all ages and backgrounds in service each year.
