SERVICE PROGRAM COULD ADDRESS PROBLEMS IN REGION

The National and Community Service program -- a sort of domestic Peace Corps -- could help address problems ranging from teen pregnancy to illiteracy in Southeast Missouri, representatives of various service agencies said Thursday.

Larry Ewing, Kennett public schools superintendent, said schools in the Bootheel are increasingly confronted with teen pregnancy. With all the teenage mothers, there is a need for in-school day care in many cases, he said.

There's also a need in education to deal with everything from crime to breaking the cycle of poverty and welfare.

Ewing said one 4-year-old child in a Bootheel Head Start program indicated that his goal in life is to get on welfare and receive "the check."

Ewing was among about 30 people who attended a morning-long convocation, held at the University Center, to learn about the federal program and how it could benefit the region.

Several Southeast officials were on hand for the meeting, including President Kala Stroup.

She said that she and other university presidents have been supportive of the idea of a national service program for years.

"As a university, it is going to be a very, very important priority for us," said Stroup.

She said the region has one of the "most under educated" populations in the nation. Getting Bootheel residents to go to college has been a tough task, she said.

The federal program would provide eligible participants in approved community service projects with a living allowance plus money that would be applied toward a college education.

Matt Benton, community services coordinator for Missouri, urged representatives of the Community Caring Council of Cape Girardeau and service agencies in the whole region to submit proposals for federal funding.

President Clinton signed the national service program into law last September. The legislation set up the Corporation for National and Community Service.

The goal of the program is to encourage people to be involved in community service projects and programs in the areas of education, public safety, human needs and environmental needs, said Verna Kuo, a representative of the national corporation based in Washington, D.C.

"Ultimately, we are looking to support and enhance existing efforts," said Kuo.

The corporation has only been in existence for five months and the whole national service program is still in the startup phase, she explained.

Kuo said the centerpiece of the federal program is AmeriCorps, which is designed to build upon already existing national service programs as well as efforts by the states and not-for-profit organizations.

The first AmeriCorps participants will be serving in communities across the nation by June.

It's estimated that the federal program will fund 20,000 workers for various community service efforts in 1994. About 17,000 of those workers will be funded through the AmeriCorps program, said Kuo. The VISTA program and a new civilian youth corps, involving persons 17 to 25 years of age, will account for the other 3,000 participants, she said.

Participants in the AmeriCorps program must be at least 17 years of age.

"Every day we receive thousands of calls from people who want to be participants," said Kuo.

The goal is to select a group of participants nationwide that are diverse racially, educationally and economically, she said.

The AmeriCorps program has available funding totaling $155 million nationwide.

Under the program, said Kuo, $51.8 million will be allocated this first year to states based on a population formula, another $51.8 million will be awarded to programs in states on a competitive basis, and $48.8 million will be allocated directly by the national corporation to multi-state service programs and those that are national in scope.

A total of $1.8 million will be set aside for U.S. territories, and a like amount for Indian tribes.

Under the program, full-time participants will receive a minimum "living allowance" of $7,662 a year, of which the national corporation will pay 85 percent or $6,513, Kuo said.

The local groups or organizations for which participants work can pay participants up to $15,324 a year, but the national corporation will only pay the $6,513 amount per worker, she stressed.

In addition, participants will receive health care and child care benefits. The national corporation will cover 100 percent of child care costs and 85 percent of the cost of minimum health care benefits, said Kuo.

Full-time participants must complete 1,700 hours of community service work within a year. Part-time participants must complete 900 hours of community service within two to three years.

After completing a year of service, each full-time worker can receive an award of $4,725 to attend a college or post-secondary vocational school. A part-time participant can receive an award of $2,363, Kuo said.

The money for post-secondary schooling will be held in a trust fund, and those completing the community service work must use the money within seven years of earning it.

Both full- and part-time workers can serve a maximum of two terms. For a full-time participant, that would be two years. For a part-time participant, the two terms could encompass up to six years.

Benton said Missouri this year could end up with 150 to 200 AmeriCorps workers, who would be involved in community service efforts spread throughout the state.

Kuo said the other major component of national service is a program called Learn and Serve America. Unlike AmeriCorps, it involves funding specific programs rather than paying participants.

A total of $30 million is available for "service-learning" programs serving grades K-12 nationwide. Another $9 million is earmarked for colleges and universities.

Kuo said the idea is to fund programs and projects that combine community service and learning.

An elementary or secondary school program, for example, might teach students about recycling while involving those students in some actual recycling effort in their community, she said.

At the university level, for example, students studying about the homeless could work at a homeless shelter, she said.