JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – On Tuesday, 51 young adults from Duval County and hometowns as far as Kentucky who served through AmeriCorps as Student Success Coaches were honored during a graduation ceremony.
The AmeriCorps-backed group, City Year Jacksonville, said the coaches provided essential mentorship to elementary school students throughout Duval County in nine elementary schools.
Between tutoring and supporting students during the school day, as well as leading after-school programming and school culture initiatives, the coaches were able to directly help more than 5,000 local students progress both academically and socially, the group said. Thirty of this year’s Student Success Coaches will return for an additional year of service.
“It’s always an honor to celebrate our Student Success Coaches, young people who have said ‘yes’ to giving of themselves to meet the needs of others. To see them graduate after a year of dedicated service throughout Duval County Public Schools is a special thing,” said Allishia Bauman, Senior Vice President and Executive Director of City Year Jacksonville. “We would not be able to accomplish our mission without these young leaders. But it’s not just them; it takes a community rallying behind our young people to make real and lasting change. That includes the support of our amazing donors and community partners, whom we could not do this without.”
But due to recent funding uncertainty, City Year Jacksonville said it needs to raise $140,000 before July to have a strong foundation for next school year.
In April, President Donald Trump’s cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, gutted AmeriCorps, a 30-year-old federal agency that dispatches 200,000 volunteers and hundreds of millions of dollars.
The Washington Post reported that DOGE ordered AmeriCorps to terminate close to $400 million in grants — roughly 41 percent of the national service agency’s total grant funding.
Through June 30, The Diane T. and Charles E. Rice Family Foundation will match dollar to dollar up to $50,000 to support City Year Jacksonville’s mission to create positive and supportive learning environments where all students can reach their full potential.
Every gift to this campaign will have a meaningful impact on their work. Donate now by visiting this website or contact Elizabeth Reeger to learn more at elizabeth.reeger@cityyear.org or (904) 423-2108.
