NORWICH – Last week was a salute to Ameri-Corps. More than 500,000 people have dedicated at least 300 hours of their time to the non-profit organization across the United States.

The local Ameri-Corps agency is broken into two main volunteer programs: the Ameri-Corps Education Award Only Program and the Headwaters Youth Conservation Corps. Volunteers for the programs receive between $1,000 and $4,000 toward college tuition expenses, depending on how many hours they are able to complete within a year.

The Headwaters program demands larger commitments of time and requires regular work hours, but offers a living expense along with its education incentive. The living expenses are about $6 per hour.