ST. PAUL – State Rep. Erin Koegel (DFL – Spring Lake Park) has been appointed to the ServeMinnesota Board of Directors. ServeMinnesota is the state's Commission on National and Community Service and oversees the state's AmeriCorps programs, which offer people of all ages an opportunity to do a year or two of national service in our local communities.
“As a former AmeriCorps member, I’m honored by this opportunity to help connect other Minnesotans with opportunities to give back to their communities,” Rep. Koegel said. “ServeMinnesota has been very successful in leveraging federal funding as well as philanthropic support to develop high-quality programs for those interested in pursuing public service. I’m excited to get started in this role on their board and help guide this work.”
Previously, Rep. Koegel served in the True North AmeriCorps program. Outside the Legislature, as part of her role working for a local Community Action agency, she works with members of the Minnesota Reading Corps, which serves 30,000 students statewide to ensure they meet third grade reading proficiency benchmarks on time.
“Those volunteers are vital to ensuring kids are getting a head start and developing a lifelong love of reading,” Rep. Koegel said.
After an AmeriCorps member serves a year of national service, they are eligible for a Segal Education Award of $5800. The education award may be used to pay back federal student loans or continue their schooling. Last year, Minnesota AmeriCorps members earned $7.9 million in education awards.
Rep. Erin Koegel represents the citizens of parts of Coon Rapids, Blaine and Spring Lake Park in the Minnesota House. She encourages constituents to reach out to her about any issue. She can be reached by email at rep.erin.koegel@house.mn or by phone at 651-296-5369, and encourages constituents to sign up for periodic email updates at her House website, located at www.house.mn/37a.