Missouri Community Service Commission Announces Funding for Youth Service
Projects 

JEFFERSON CITY  - Members of the Missouri Community Service Commission
(MCSC) voted Thursday to give more than $40,000 in mini-grants to community
service projects across the state that involve youth. Lt. Gov. Joe Maxwell,
who serves as chairman of the MCSC took part in the voting process, and said
the funding for the projects is unique because it is taken from the MCSC
administrative budget. This is money that is regularly used to carry out the
daily operations by the commission staff, but a portion has been set aside
to fund youth projects that might not have been funded otherwise.

"Missouri's youth are very active in community service, and quite often
these groups just need a little help to get started," Maxwell said. "We're
pleased that we are able to help foster an ethic of service at an early age
by granting these funds for such worthy causes."

The goal of the mini-grants is to provide youth with opportunities to serve
within their communities.  Applicants were judged based on the involvement
of youth in fostering volunteer, National Service and service-learning
initiatives that meet community identified needs. The projects awarded
funding must be completed during the 2003-2004 school year, or by June 30,
2004. The programs awarded funding are as follows:

1.	AmeriCorps St. Louis					$1,500
2.	Big Brothers Big Sisters of Columbia			$2,500
3.	Blue Eye R-V Schools					$825
4.	Buchanan County R-IV					$2,500
5.	Butler County Community Resource			$1,600
6.	Chillicothe Middle School				$2,500
7.	CODE/ Hickman Mills C-1 Schools				$2,500
8.	Community Partnership of the Ozarks			$1,075
9.	Grain Valley R-V Schools				$2,500
10.	Harrisburg Community Betterment				$2,344
11.	Howard County R-II					$2,500
12.	KUTO							$2,500
13.	Northland Neighborhoods, Inc.				$2,419
14.	Pemiscot County Initiative Network			$2,500
15.	Progressive Youth Connection				$1,420
16.	Purdy R-II Schools					$925
17.	Richards R-V Schools					$2,500
18.	Southwest Missouri State University			$2,500
19.	Special School District St. Louis			$2,500
20.	Westminster College					$768

For more information on mini-grants funding please contact the Missouri
Community Service Commission at (573) 751-7488, or visit the Web site at
www.movolunteers.org.