BALTIMORE (February 3, 2011) – Volunteer Southern Maryland was awarded with a $25,000 grant Thursday through the Corporation for National and Community Service’s Volunteer Generation Fund. Five other Maryland Volunteer Centers received similar grants. The fund is designed to increase the ability of the grantees to "recruit and retain volunteers in diverse opportunities."

According to the Governor’s Office on Service and Volunteerism (GOSV), Volunteer Southern Maryland will use the grant to "hire a part-time Program Assistant to increase outreach and training efforts, work with consultants to conduct a needs assessment, and investigate opportunities in virtual volunteering."

Volunteer Southern Maryland is a projected created and sustained by the College of Southern Maryland in La Plata.

Maryland is one of 19 states nationwide that competed and was awarded through the Volunteer Generation Fund. Maryland submitted a proposal that described local needs and best practices for engaging citizens in service, and received funding in August 2010 as a result of the new funding opportunity born out of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act.

Volunteer Centers in Maryland submitted proposals for funding, which were judged by the Governor’s Office on Service and Volunteerism in November 2010. Judges sought to support projects with an emphasis on engaging youth, people with disabilities, and adults 55 and over in service. Once awarded, the volunteer centers will assess their local volunteer and nonprofit needs to increase their ability to sustain diverse partnerships while building internal capacity. The funds will support activities through the end of 2011.

The Corporation for National and Community Service generally makes grant awards for three years, with funding in annual increments. Grantees will be eligible for continuation funding in the second and third year contingent on the availability of appropriations, compliance, and satisfactory performance. In Maryland, the Volunteer Generation Fund investment in volunteer centers and nonprofit trainings has the potential to reach over five million Maryland citizens by the end of the three-year project.

For more information about Volunteer Southern Maryland, visit http://www.csmd.edu/vsmd/.