When President Bill Clinton visited the SIUC campus on Monday, Aaron Hoyt said he handed the president a big envelope with nearly 70 letters in it, each with a question from an elementary-school student.

You wouldn’t believe the questions they asked, Hoyt said. They were worried about money and funding. One even asked the president why he sent his wife to China when no one wanted her to go.

Hoyt said if it was not for the new, recently funded AmeriCorps program in Southern Illinois, these students may have never had the chance to ask the president a question.

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On Sept. 9, AmeriCorps in Southern Illinois received notice that they would be funded with an estimated $400,000 for the next year to establish programs throughout the area.

AmeriCorps is part of Clinton’s national service program providing areas around the country with community service.

Programs at SIUC, John A. Logan, Rend Lake College, Kaskaskia College, Shawnee College and Southeastern College will be among those funded by the grant.

From the six colleges, 40 students will participate in the program, 10 of which will come from SIUC. AmeriCorps members will work as tutors and mentors for elementary school children in the area of their college.

The 10 SIUC students will work with Giant City, Thomas and Winkler elementary schools.

Kathy Lorentz, site-supervisor of AmeriCorps at SIUC, said she thinks many children in the area need the help AmeriCorps can offer.

There is a great need in Southern Illinois to have role models for children in and out of the classroom, she said. The number of children to be served throughout the area is vast.

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As payment for their service, AmeriCorps members will receive $4,206 in living allowance and $2,363 to be used for their education expenses.

Hoyt said one of biggest reasons he joined AmeriCorps is because of the monetary rewards. But he also said he hopes the experience will help him with his career.

I am getting a lot of experience that most people will not get until they student teach, he said. When you student teach they kind of just throw you in there. But I will have a little experience.

For the past year, AmeriCorps in Southern Illinois has been working through a planning fund. With this money, the program planned objectives they would initiate if fully funded.

Lorentz said she believes one of the reasons the program was funded was because they had such good objectives.

We were nervous at first that we wouldn’t get the funding because of all of the cuts, she said. But our objectives are important especially in this area.

Rend Lake College initially applied for the funding last summer and will serve as the facilitator of the funds.

Bob Kelley, director of marketing and public information at Rend Lake College, said AmeriCorps will give a lot of good experience to many students in the area.

This program will give volunteers the opportunity to do community work and receive benefits while doing it, he said. Many programs like this go to more populated areas. It’s nice to see it come to rural Southern Illinois.

Members will receive 80 hours of training, which began last week, to prepare for service. They will also spend 80 hours developing a community service program of their own.