MADISON, Wis.– A popular summer camp for people with disabilities in Wisconsin was put in jeopardy after a sudden loss in federal funding—as part of a nationwide termination of nearly $400 million in AmeriCorps grants by the Department of Government Efficiency.
“We’ve been through funding loss before, so we can deal with that piece of it. Some of the abruptness of this is what really created some challenges,” said President and CEO of Easterseals Wisconsin, Paul Leverenz.
Easterseals Wisconsin provides year-round support and summer camps for individuals with disabilities. It’s one of more than 25 AmeriCorps programs overseen by Serve Wisconsin.
“You don’t get those opportunities [service membership] as young people very often to really see how you personally can have that kind of an impact, and AmeriCorps created that opportunity,” Leverenz said.
As of April 25, Serve Wisconsin said that the federal government pulled all $14 million in AmeriCorps funding for the state.
“I was shocked,” said Jeanne Duffy, Executive Director of Serve Wisconsin.
Duffy says the cuts forced 800 AmeriCorps members in Wisconsin to stop serving immediately.
“It’s been hard, and you know, we're part of state government, so we're working with the state,” she said.
Wisconsin joined a multi-state lawsuit challenging the federal government’s decision, but as legal proceedings unfold, nonprofits are scrambling to find new funding sources.
For Easterseals, the funding cuts meant figuring out how to bring back 13 service of their AmeriCorps service members after their positions were terminated just weeks before summer camp.
“We can’t lead from a position of fear. We have to lead from a position, you know, of looking for opportunities, solving the problems and dealing with the pieces that are in front of us. We found a way to bring those people [service members] back,” Leverenz said.
For now, Leverenz says they are back to the drawing board to try and make up for lost funds, but they won’t let the cuts cost them their summer camp.
“We have a thousand people that can’t go somewhere else that want to come to our camps for the summer. We don't have an option of not figuring this out,” said Leverenz.
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