 
Everybody's Free (To Serve America)
National service supporters, AmeriCorps members, and Senior Corps volunteers: Wear sunscreen.
If we could offer you one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of our advice is based on a newspaper column and our own experience at the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS).
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. We see young AmeriCorps members who put their lives on pause every year to engage in national service to solve some of the nation's toughest challenges. Their energetic approach to "getting things done" inspires us every day. And, frankly, just watching makes us a little tired.
Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but volunteer to make a difference in your community and get to know your neighbors in a whole new way. CNCS can help you find ways to serve wherever you live and even participate during national days of service. Go ahead and "plant your apple tree."
Sing.
We were serious about the volunteering thing. A lot of groups could use more people like you. We're not so sure about the singing.
Floss.
Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself. And that car trying to beat you to the next freeway exit.
Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell us how.
Stretch.
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. Some of the most interesting people we know are AmeriCorps members who find careers they never imagined through their service and Senior Corps volunteers who get to learn new skills during their retirement. Their service often opens doors to full-time jobs.
Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Work with the PTA. Join the neighborhood watch. Plant a community garden. Clean up a stream near your home. You still have a few days to celebrate Great Outdoors Month. Have we mentioned volunteering enough?
Travel. This group of FEMA Corps AmeriCorps NCCC members has gone from Puerto Rico to Hawaii in the last few months. Disaster response service is not very glamorous, so we thank them for serving others in their time of need.
Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.
Respect your elders. More than 220,000 Senior Corps volunteers age 55+ are making a difference in communities by mentoring and tutoring, strengthening community organizations by sharing their knowledge and skills, and by looking out for other seniors where they live. We love Senior Corps!
Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. (cough, cough) Advice is a form of nostalgia ... and sometimes it helps us complete our weekly columns.
But trust us on the sunscreen.
In Service,
CNCS Office of External Affairs
P.S. The preceding essay was inspired by—and shamelessly copied entire sections from— Mary Schmich's Chicago Tribune 1997 column "Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young." The Tribune column was later set to music by movie director Baz Lurhmann and released as the spoken-word song "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)," which reached No. 45 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1999. The more you know.
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