ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - TelAve -- HandsOn Suburban Chicago, a nonprofit serving Northern Cook and Northern DuPage Counties, has joined a lawsuit against the Trump administration, challenging its attempt to dismantle AmeriCorps, the nation's flagship civil service program.

A recipient of the Volunteer Generation Fund (VGF) grant through AmeriCorps, HandsOn Suburban Chicago's VGF funding was terminated as of April 25, along with 1,000 other programs nationally.

"We joined this lawsuit because the termination of this grant directly threatens our ability to serve those who rely on us most," Chris Swope Cholewa, CEO of HandsOn Suburban Chicago said. "Terminating our funding with no warning, no process, and no regard for the consequences isn't just harmful—it's unacceptable. We're fighting back because programs that work deserve to be defended—and because the people we serve are already feeling the ripple effects when we're forced to step back. They deserve better."

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The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, seeks to block the administration's attempt to dismantle the program without congressional authorization. It is brought by community organizations from across the country, along with individual youth plaintiffs who participate in AmeriCorps and the AmeriCorps Employees Union, AFSCME Local 2027.

The lawsuit alleges the administration does not have unilateral power to cut or end the AmeriCorps grants and service programs, and that doing so would unlawfully deprive communities of critical services and opportunities provided through AmeriCorps, including education access, housing support, and youth mentorship.

Plaintiffs, represented by Democracy Defenders Fund, Lowell & Associates, and Democracy Forward include AmeriCorps Employees Union AFSCME Local 2027, Aspire Afterschool, Bur Oak Land Trust, Democracy Maine, Elev8 Baltimore, HandsOn Suburban Chicago, Housing and Community Development Network of NJ, Michigan College Access Network, National College Attainment Network, North Carolina Housing Coalition, Partners for Campus-Community Engagement, Rainbow Labs, Red Cloud Indian School, Seed Coalition, and The Service Collaborative of WNY.

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Cholewa adds, " AmeriCorps was built on the idea that ordinary individuals can come together to create extraordinary change—and that's exactly what we've done. We joined this lawsuit because we owe it to our communities to stand up and say: this isn't right."

You can read the full complaint here (https://cfce73f5-6016-42c8-9343-fa96f8863f56.usrfiles.com/ugd/cfce73_887ac2490656487b9db02553fcbbe007.pdf).
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HandsOn Suburban Chicago (http://www.handsonsuburbanchicago.org/) is a community volunteer center serving 44 communities in Northern Cook and Northern DuPage Counties in Illinois. Their mission is to positively impact communities by connecting people to enriching volunteer experiences.