Perry appoints Diggles to OneStar Commission

Diggles

Texas Governor Rick Perry reappointed Walter Diggles of Jasper to continue to serve as chair of the OneStar National Service Commission until March 15, 2010.

OneStar works to strengthen the capacity of local communities to address their most pressing needs, according to Perry's press release.

"We encourage all Texans to become active volunteers, to serve their communities, and to make a difference," Perry said.

Diggles is executive director of DETCOG (Deep East Texas Council of Governments), senior pastor of the New Lighthouse Church of God in Christ, serves on the board of the Boys and Girls Club, and is director of the Pineywoods Economic Partnership and First National Bank of Jasper.

Diggles also volunteers on the executive committee of the Boy Scouts of America Three Rivers Council.

One function of the OneStar Foundation is to administer the AmeriCorps Texas program, which provides volunteers to meet education, environmental, public safety and other pressing needs in communities across Texas.

According to the governor's office, roughly threequarters of all AmeriCorps grant funding goes to the OneStar Foundation, which in turn awards grants to nonprofit groups to respond to local needs.