State volunteer leaders say initial estimates from their federal parent agencies put cuts as high as fifty percent.JACKSON, MS (Mississippi News Now) -
Volunteer service in Mississippi is getting some positive national attention, but budget cuts could put a dark cloud over the state's efforts.
As part of Americorps week, the State Office of Volunteerism announced the state's ranking as number four in the nation when it comes to civic engagement. The rankings were done by the National Conference on Citizenship.
As the rankings are released, so are budget cuts from the federal level thanks to what's known as sequestration. State volunteer leaders say initial estimates from their federal parent agencies put cuts as high as fifty percent. That's money used as matching funds to local money.
David Mallery with Volunteer Mississippi says he hopes federal lawmakers can work out a solution that won't harm current service efforts.
"When you can take a few dollars to organize volunteers and then magnify that 10, 15 or 20 times to the value that it provides within a community, that's a good return on investment," explains Mallery.
Coming up on WLBT at 4 p.m., State Reporter Mike McDaniel will bring the latest on what cuts local volunteer groups may have to make.
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