THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Friday, July 21, 1995                  TAG: 9507210523
SECTION: FRONT                    PAGE: A9   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT 
                                             LENGTH: Short :   40 lines

CONGRESS GRANTS REPRIEVE TO SERVICE PROGRAM AMERICORPS WILL CONTINUE, BUT ITS GROWTH IS SLOWED.

President Clinton's Americorps national-service program, targeted for extinction by several Republicans, including House Speaker Newt Gingrich, has been spared - for now.

In fact, the program's budget will grow next year, but not by as much as initially planned.

The budget had been expected to rise from $370 million in 1994-95 to $575 million in 1995-96. Under Congress' ``recission'' bill, which pared the 1995-96 budget, Americorps' funding will be $470 million.

The program, which has 20,000 volunteers nationwide, expected to have 33,000 in the fall. After the cut, it plans on 27,000, said Wendy Grassi, a spokeswoman for Americorp.

Student volunteers do jobs ranging from tutoring kindergartners to building low-income housing. Virginia has more than 120 volunteers. The closest site is Virginia Commonwealth University.

Clinton promoted Americorps as a way to inspire civic activism and help students get through college with small stipends. But Republicans have criticized it as an unnecessary feel-good program that corrupts the notion of volunteerism by including money.

The program was not targeted in Congress' long-range balanced-budget bill, but some members of Congress have begun talking about eliminating it altogether in 1996-97. Grassi says it will persist.

``We're very optimistic,'' she said. ``The president is fully behind this thing. Meanwhile, we are inviting congressmen to visit the programs. Once they see the terrific work the Americorps volunteers contribute to communities, they'll agree it should remain.'' by CNB