Nationwide Day of Recognition Brings Together Hundreds of Mayors to Mark the Impact of AmeriCorps and Senior Corps Programs
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter makes announcement on MSNBC's "Morning Joe"
Washington, D.C. – More than 830 mayors from all 50 states are standing together in support of AmeriCorps and Senior Corps programs by participating in the first-ever Mayors Day of Recognition for National Service. Together, these mayors represent nearly 100 million citizens, or nearly one-third of Americans.
The first-ever Mayors Day of Recognition for National Service is being led by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), Cities of Service, the National League of Cities, and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Mayor Nutter spoke about the Day of Recognition this morning during an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” CNCS is the federal agency for national service and volunteering that administers AmeriCorps and Senior Corps.
“It is a testament to the effectiveness of AmeriCorps and Senior Corps programs that nearly one-third of Americans will have their mayor participating in this first-ever Day of Recognition,” said Wendy Spencer, CEO of CNCS. “We’re proud to stand with this bipartisan group of mayors. These leaders are shining a bright light on the impact of AmeriCorps members and Senior Corps volunteers as they improve neighborhoods and transform lives across the country.”
Spencer will join Mayor Nutter in Philadelphia as he presents the Mayor’s Award for Distinguished National Service. The program also will include remarks from former CNCS CEO Harris Wofford, a champion for national service and volunteerism who in February received the Presidential Citizens Medal, the nation’s second-highest civilian honor. Spencer will return to Washington, D.C. where Mayor Vincent Gray will recognize national service programs at this evening’s Washington Nationals baseball game.
CNCS annually engages more than five million citizens in service at more than 70,000 locations in 8,500 cities across the country through AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and other programs.
“As President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, I work with mayors from both sides of the aisle to find practical solutions to the problems we face in our cities,” said Mayor Nutter. “My colleagues and I agree that there are few resources more cost effective than America’s national service programs. AmeriCorps members and Senior Corps volunteers are central to the fabric of Philadelphia. Day after day, they roll up their sleeves and get to work addressing education, food insecurity, community revitalization and more. Simply put, in these challenging economic times, their service is essential to the current and future success of our city and our nation.”
“Today makes it clear that there is broad, bipartisan support among our nation’s mayors for programs like AmeriCorps and Senior Corps,” said Katie Leonberger, who manages the Cities of Service coalition. “National service members are key to mobilizing citizens to get important work done on the ground and we are thrilled to see so many mayors honor and support their efforts."
“NLC is proud to serve as a co-sponsor of this inaugural day commemorating national service, and we are thrilled to see the high levels of participation and excitement from so many of our communities across the country,” said Mayor Marie Lopez Rogers, President of the National League of Cities. “National service participants touch the lives of our residents every day, and are integral to the success of countless programs and services in our communities. Today we honor these selfless individuals for strengthening cities and towns across the country.”
Participating mayors will conduct site visits and roundtables, issue proclamations, and host celebrations. These events are designed to highlight the impact of national service in cities, including helping kids learn to read and stay in school, rebuilding communities after disasters, connecting veterans to services, restoring city parks, building homes, focusing the efforts of community volunteers, and bringing life back to forgotten neighborhoods. All events focus on the three groups that benefit AmeriCorps and Senior Corps: the recipients of service, the people who serve, and the larger community and nation.
The initiative has already gained support from a diverse range of mayors. A full list can be found here.
In addition to the service recognition event in Philadelphia with Mayor Nutter, other mayors who hold national leadership positions are marking this Day of Recognition:
- Avondale, Ariz.: Mayor Marie Lopez-Rogers, president of the National League of Cities, will sign a proclamation recognizing national service and meet with national service participants.
- Mesa, Ariz.: Mayor Scott Smith, who is the vice president of the United States Conference of Mayors, will hold a news conference at a community resource center started by an AmeriCorps VISTA team that served with the United Way. AmeriCorps VISTA Director Mary Strasser and CNCS Board Member Marguerite Kondracke will join Mayor Smith.
- St. Paul, Minn.: Mayor Chris Coleman, vice president of the National League of Cities, will join local leaders as he visits numerous AmeriCorps and Senior Corps project sites in his city, culminating with a celebration at a local business. CNCS Board Chair and Twin Cities Leader Laysha Ward will join Mayor Coleman.
In addition to these cities, mayors in other communities are commemorating national service in a number of ways:
- Albuquerque: Mayor Richard Berry will hold a public recognition ceremony at Civic Plaza by City Hall that will be followed by a volunteer information fair.
- Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska: Mayor Luke Hopkins will issue a proclamation. He will also hold a recognition ceremony followed by a luncheon for AmeriCorps VISTA members.
- Flint, Mich.: Mayor Dayne Walling, an AmeriCorps alumnus, will issue a proclamation, participate in a roundtable discussion with key stakeholders, host a recognition luncheon for the city's "champions of national service," and visit two national service projects in his city.
- Little Rock, Ark.: Mayor Mark Stodola will issue a mayoral proclamation and present each national service member or volunteer in attendance with a certificate of recognition. AmeriCorps Director Bill Basl will represent CNCS at the event.
- Los Angeles: At a morning news conference, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will recognize six national service programs where members and volunteers are making contributions in the area of education. Each program will receive a certificate from the mayor. CNCS Board Member and local leader Hyepin Im will join Mayor Villaraigosa.
- Missoula, Mont.: Mayor Mark Engen will visit local service sites and end the day with a social gathering, where he will sign a proclamation recognizing AmeriCorps members and Senior Corps volunteers. AmeriCorps Alums will also be in attendance.
- Nashville: Mayor Karl Dean will use the National Day of Recognition for National Service to launch a Cities of Service volunteering initiative. The event will include local leaders and representatives of AmeriCorps and Senior Corps projects.
- Orlando: Mayor Buddy Dyer will visit a classroom to observe AmeriCorps members serving with students, meet with members of his Mayor Buddy's Book Club, and acknowledge school officials and community partners in the Together for Tomorrow program, a partnership between CNCS and other federal agencies, including the Department of Education. He will also thank City Year Orlando AmeriCorps and Orlando Cares AmeriCorps VISTA members for their service.
- Omaha: Mayor Jim Suttle will oversee performances, speeches, and the presentation of a proclamation recognizing AmeriCorps and Senior Corps programs.
- San Antonio: Mayor Julian Castro will hold a news conference during which he will recognize national service programs.
- Washington, D.C.: Mayor Vincent Gray will visit schools where national service participants are making a difference, before ending the day with CNCS CEO Wendy Spencer at the Washington Nationals game, where AmeriCorps and Senior Corps programs will be recognized.
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About the Corporation for National and Community Service
The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through its AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, Social Innovation Fund, and Volunteer Generation Fund programs, and leads the President's national call to service initiative, United We Serve. For more information, visit NationalService.gov.
About Cities of Service
Founded in September 2009 in New York City by New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and 16 other mayors from across the nation, Cities of Service is a bipartisan coalition of mayors committed to addressing critical city needs through impact volunteering. American cities face serious challenges and many mayors want to take advantage of every resource available to them – including the time and energy of public-spirited residents – to address those challenges. But in cities across America today, citizen service is often an underutilized or inefficiently utilized strategy by municipal governments. By leveraging citizen service strategies, Cities of Service helps mayors address local needs and make government more effective.
About National League of Cities
The National League of Cities is dedicated to helping city leaders build better communities. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans.
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