Dear Friends and Colleagues,
On Tuesday, our CEO, Wendy Spencer, shared the
story of how you are making a difference as she fielded questions from members
of Congress at a hearing regarding our budget.
The
committee’s chairman, Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma, had this to say about what you
all do: “No question in my mind,
it’s a worthwhile use of money.”
Without a doubt, there are a lot of people and
organizations that agree with Chairman Cole. The list includes Delta Air Lines,
NASA, Uber, and more. So, whether by plane, by car, or by space shuttle, support
for national service is taking off!
Scroll down to connect dots and learn how these
groups and individuals are fueling our March-mentum!
Speaking of March, don’t forget to share your
story about how #AmeriCorpsWorks as we come together to kick off AmeriCorps
Week.
Thanks and have a great weekend,
Ted
Miller
Chief of External Affairs
Corporation for National and Community Service
#ServiceEmployers: This week as we close out Peace Corps Week and kick
off AmeriCorps Week, CNCS CEO Wendy Spencer and Peace Corps Director Carrie
Hessler-Radelet
came together to discuss how service creates opportunity and builds skills for
the future. We also announced several new Employers of National Service who joined more than 350 employers committed to hiring AmeriCorps alum and returned Peace Corps volunteers.
#SuitsForSession: This week, Volunteer Florida and Uber came together to help those in need. During their first-ever #SuitsForSession service project at the Capitol and across Leon County, volunteers collected more than 4,000 donations of professional attire for local job-seekers. Uber drivers picked up items across the county for free and delivered to organizations across Florida, including Dress For Success Tallahassee, the Goodwill Prosperity Center, and the Florida Department of Education’s Division of Blind Services.
Helping Flint: National service programs help communities across the country during times of crises. Currently, 46 AmeriCorps and Senior Corps members are engaged in response operations in Flint, MI. They are helping educate residents on using water filters appropriately, provide information on best practices in healthcare and nutrition related to lead exposure, assist with donations management, and connect residents to wrap-around services.
#AmeriCorpsWorks: Next week, we will celebrate AmeriCorps Week 2016. We hope you are planning to share how #AmeriCorpsWorks for you, honor AmeriCorps members and alums, highlight your partners and Employers of National Service, and recruit new champions and members. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat (nationalservice), and Tumblr and tune in throughout the week for our exciting social media takeovers featuring the service of some amazing AmeriCorps members.
Unity and Impact: This week, CNCS CEO Wendy Spencer fielded questions from members of Congress about the way national service and social innovation programs make a difference in communities across the country. Wendy was invited to the Hill to answer questions about what we hope to achieve for the American people through the FY 2017 budget request that we sent to Congress in early February. Visit our blog to read about the AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and Social Innovation Fund programs that came up during the hearing.
AmeriCorps
White House Rolls Out Summer Opportunity Plan
Youth Today (GA), February 26, 2016
The White House this week rolled out a multi-agency plan to help more teenagers
land summer jobs. The plan aims to give youth who lack work experience and
connections to employers a leg up through public investments and partnerships
with the private sector. Summer jobs can keep teens and young adults safe and
engaged at a time when school-based services are not always available and
provide exposure to careers and money management skills, said the
administration. “Summer is a critical time for young people, and it can make
the difference between a life in a prison cell and a career in a corner
office,” said Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser to the president.
AmeriCorps NCCC
AmeriCorps team working with the Mojave Desert Land Trust
The Hi-Desert Star (CA), February 27, 2016
Mary Joe Burger, 19, from Maine, is in the yard of the Mojave Desert Land Trust
picking out mustard weed, an invasive plant that inserts itself into the
desert, strangling native plants. Burger doesn’t mind the work. She loves
gardening, and it gives her a sense of helping. Burger and 11 other members of
the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps Gold 2 Team are working with
the land trust as part of a trip through California working with relief groups
and nonprofits.
AmeriCorps VISTA
Lynch is Citizen of Year
The Pulaski County Mirror (MO), February 25, 2016
The Waynesville-St. Robert Chamber of Commerce 2015 Citizen of the Year is
Steve Lynch. Lynch was nominated by the Rotary Club of Pulaski County. The
award was presented at the Community Leadership Awards Banquet Friday night at
the St. Robert Community Center. The 2015 Organization of the Year, the
Waynesville R-VI School District AmeriCorps/VISTA, is an organization that
builds capacity in nonprofit organizations and communities to help bring
individuals and communities out of poverty by working to promote literacy,
improve health services, create businesses, increase housing opportunities, or
bridge the digital divide.
Senior Corps
Hundreds asked how to help 106-year-old who danced with
the Obamas. Now they can.
The Washington Post, March 1, 2016
After 106-year-old Virginia McLaurin danced her way into the hearts of
millions, inquiries poured in from people around the world who wanted to give
something back to the woman whose enthusiasm for life inspired them. When The
Washington Post filmed her watching the viral video of her joyously meeting the
Obamas at the White House on an iPhone, readers wrote in wanting to donate (or
take up a collection to get her) a smartphone or tablet so she could relive the
experience again and again.
Social Innovation Fund
Casey Foundation Launches $5.4 Million Youth Success
Initiative
Philanthropy News Digest (NY), March 1, 2016
The Annie E. Casey Foundation, in partnership with the Corporation for National
and Community Service's Social Innovation Fund, has announced a three-year,
$5.4 million initiative to boost the number of teens and young adults who complete
high school and college and help them build a path to fulfilling careers.
Through its Learn and Earn to Achieve Potential (LEAP) initiative, the
foundation aims to increase educational and employment opportunities for young
people between the ages of 14 and 25 who are in foster care, the juvenile
justice system, or homeless.
National Service Blog
AmeriCorps VISTA alum Riya Rahman is a White House
Champion of Change
NationalService.Tumblr.com, February 29, 2016
Riya Rahman is from Waco, Texas and is a senior political science student at
Baylor University. For the last two years, she has worked to end child hunger
with the Texas Hunger Initiative (THI) and Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry
campaign. During the 2014-15 school year, she was a No Kid Hungry Youth
Ambassador on Baylor’s campus to increase child hunger awareness and advocacy
among college students. This summer, she worked at THI’s Dallas Regional Office
as an AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associate, where she promoted the Summer Meals
Program.
|