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Dear
Friends and Colleagues,
This week, America called on us to expand opportunity in San Diego, teach self-worth and running skills to young girls in Alabama, keep hungry children fed in Colorado, and fight the obesity epidemic all across the country. Oh, and we got to honor volunteerism in the “House That Ruth Built” and introduce the world to #AmeriPaint.
Just your average week here in the world of national service.
Have a great weekend,
 Ted
Miller
Chief of External Affairs
Corporation for National and Community Service
 New Promise Zones Expand Economic Opportunity. On Tuesday, CNCS CEO Wendy Spencer was joined by San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and state and local leaders to announce their city (and eight others) as a new Promise Zone. As part of the program, up to five full-time AmeriCorps VISTA members each year will deploy to each of the Promise Zones to support community goals and recruit and manage volunteers. These AmeriCorps VISTA members will build the capacity of each Promise Zone to coordinate key stakeholders and implement a plan to achieve positive outcomes. We have also invested in Promise Zone communities through our AmeriCorps Mayors and Governors Initiative, our Senior Corps programs, and the Social Innovation Fund. Through these initiatives, we continue an effort that gives more Americans the chance to rise with the tide of an expanding economy.
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National Service is 'On the Run'. Throughout June, we'll be telling the story of how national service and social innovation help Americans get more active and improve their health. From helping our neighbors access better health care to creating opportunities for better fitness and nutrition – national service members and Social Innovation Fund grantees are helping to create a healthier future for America. One such example is Candice Powers, an AmeriCorps member who teaches young girls how to encourage each other, stand up for others, strengthen social circles, and most importantly, how to improve their communities -- all while training to run a 5k! And she's not alone, Senior Corps members, SIF grantees, and other AmeriCorps members are all hard at work helping to create a healthier future for America.
Keeping HOPE Alive at Yankee Stadium. This year marks the New York Yankees’ eighth HOPE Week (Helping Others Persevere & Excel), an initiative rooted in the belief that acts of goodwill provide hope and encouragement to more than just the recipient of the gesture. Each day during HOPE Week, the Yankees recognize outstanding individuals and organizations that make a difference in their community. On Monday, 14-year old Jake Gallin was honored for his work supporting military families. He designed and sold magnetic car decals honoring military Blue and Gold Star families, donating the proceeds to the USO. Marc Young, Deputy Chief of External Affairs at CNCS and an Iraq War veteran, was on hand at Yankee Stadium to present Jake with a President’s Volunteer Service Award, given “in recognition and appreciation of commitment to strengthening the Nation and making a difference through volunteer service.”
AmeriCorps
The Chance to Make Real Change is Drawing Volunteers to
Alaska
The Alaska Dispatch News (AK), June 3, 2016
They sit beside sexual assault victims during exams and trooper interviews,
providing comfort. They teach high school classes and help small
businesses. Sometimes, they stay in the remote areas they are assigned to help
temporarily. Alaska is dotted with members of what some call the domestic
Peace Corps: national service groups like AmeriCorps and SeniorCorps. Many of them are
in rural Alaska. Some are fresh out of college and figuring out their place in
the world. This week, the nation's chief service officer made her first trip to
Alaska to examine their work.
AmeriCorps NCCC
AmeriCorps Crew Gains Skill Building Botanical Garden
The West Plains Daily (MO), June 2, 2016
What do you do when you have seven acres of land to turn into a botanical garden,
or a community garden in need of wheelchair-accessible walkways between
vegetable plots? The folks at West Plains Community Garden and Health Haven
Botanical Gardens joined forces for an innovative solution: Together, the
organizations are sponsoring a team of AmeriCorps members. A team of eight
AmeriCorps members arrived, on assignment from Denver, Colo., in mid-April, and set to
work immediately in the community garden and at Health Haven. Their efforts in
the community garden, set in Don Warden Park, are focused on making the garden
more environmentally sustainable, low maintenance, and accessible by laying
pathways between garden beds. They have also begun renovating the landscaping
and repairing a greenhouse.
AmeriCorps VISTA
Summer is More Fun for Children When They Are Fed
The Vail Daily (CO), June 8, 2016
he easiest thing you can do for hungry kids is feed them, Sara Amberg said
patiently. And with that unassailable logic, the 2016 summer lunch
program provided by InteGreat!, a collaboration of 30 local nonprofits and
agencies, started Monday. In last year’s inaugural launch, two kids showed up
for opening day in Gypsum. This year they ran about 100 times that, just at
Eagle Valley High School. Programs are also being run at Avon Elementary School
and Berry Creek Middle School.
Senior Corps
Foster Grandparents Program Helps Children, Adds a
Purpose
The South Bend Tribune (IN), June 6, 2016
In the communities of South Bend and Elkhart, 45 older adults leave their homes
each morning and head to 16 sites to spend quality time with young children.
They go to Head Start, day care centers and to schools where they mentor, tutor
and spend time with children, including those who are at risk or special needs
children. Foster Grandparents began as a pilot program nationally in 1965. The
local program was initiated by REAL Services in 1972 and has been a vital and
thriving program since its inception.
Social Innovation Fund
Back to Work 50+ Helps Participants Become 'Job Ready'
The Gainesville Sun (FL), June 6, 2016
Women at least 50 years old who are looking to get back into the job market can
find vital information at a number of workshops planned this week. Beginning
Tuesday, the Back to Work 50+: Women’s Economic Stability Initiative will help women
ages 50 to 64 find full-time employment. Santa Fe College, one of five colleges in the country selected to offer the work program, is a sub-grantee of the Social Innovation Fund under a three-year grant provided from the Corporation for National and Community Service to AARP Foundation.
National Service Blog
Obesity Just Hit an All-Time High, Here’s How We’re Fighting Back
NationalService.Tumblr.com, June 8, 2016
On Tuesday, it was reported that according to two reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “more American women are obese than ever before.” The reports show that a staggering 40% of women and 35% of American men are now considered obese. They also point out that 17% of teens are now considered obese. These findings come while the Corporation for National and Community Service celebrates “Healthy Futures Month” and all of the work done by the Social Innovation Fund and local AmeriCorps and Senior Corps members to help Americans get more active and improve their health. The reports highlight just how important this work has become.
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