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Dear Colleagues and Communicators,
It’s still not too late to make a New Year’s resolution. Resolve to make volunteering and service a part of your life this year. You can start with the Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service!
In the final days leading up to MLK Day, we're reminded of how Dr. King’s life and legacy inspire Americans of all backgrounds to serve and strengthen their communities. Join us in making this Monday "a day on, not a day off."
There's more national service news below to help provide additional inspiration.
Have a good weekend and a great day of service!
The External Affairs Team
This
morning, CEO Wendy Spencer joined Elizabeth Boris of the Urban Institute on C-SPAN's Washington
Journal. Wendy discussed the Volunteering as a Pathway to Opportunity research and the 2013 Volunteering and Civic Life in America report. Watch the interview, and feel free to share it with your networks.
Our favorite national service stories show how our members change lives. Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps member Antoinette Balta helped Patrick Taylor, an Army veteran in need of legal aid. Patrick describes his gratitude: "Everything is so dark in your world - and all of a sudden... there's a light at the end of the tunnel." Watch and share this story of service at its best.
Senior Corps
RSVP Continues Volunteer Work Despite the Weather
WXOW-TV (MN), January 14, 2014
[VIDEO] The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program or RSVP continued working
through the storm. RSVP invites people 55 and over to help meet needs in the
community. And as long as it's safe to drive and the weather is not extreme,
they continue that service.
Foster grandparents- making a difference in two lives
KJCT-TV (CO), January 14, 2014
St. Mary's Foster Grandparent Program provides children with one on one
mentoring and tutoring. January marks National Mentoring Month, making it a
perfect time to highlight those in the community who mentor young people in
education. Volunteers in the Foster Grandparent Program are doing just that.
Foster grandparents
The Daily Times (OK), January 10, 2014
Students in Mayes County who may be struggling with certain subjects in school
have another tool to help them thanks to the Foster Grandparent Program. The
Foster Grandparent Program (FGP) pairs volunteers over the age of 55 with
school-aged children to offer services in a variety of ways, including
tutoring.
AmeriCorps
Volunteers play key role in lives of struggling students
The Boston Globe (MA),
January 12, 2014
We have more than 1,000
AmeriCorps members serving in 160 schools throughout the Commonwealth, and they
are making a difference in the academic success of these students. While these
service members are not seasoned education professionals, they are committed
and caring people who have dedicated a year of their lives to making a
difference in the lives of young people.
AmeriCorps VISTA
"Promise Zone" designation bring hope in West
Phila.
philly.com (PA), January 12, 2014
Instead, it promises to award bonus
points in scored competitions for aid from 25 federal programs, giving the area
a better chance to claim government money. The area will get five AmeriCorps
VISTA volunteers, consideration for waivers from certain regulations, and
unspecified technical assistance.
AmeriCorps NCCC
A year of living flexibly: Sheboygan woman spends year
responding to emergencies
Sheboygan
Press (WI), January 15, 2014
While researching some of her
options online, she came across AmeriCorps NCCC, a full-time, residential,
national service program in which thousands of young adults serve nationwide
each year. She decided it was something she wanted to pursue.
National Service Blog
Start
a Year of Citizen Action
By Wendy Spencer and Jonathan Greenblatt
The White House blog, January 17, 2014
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. dedicated his life to improving the world in which he lived—and challenged the rest of us to do the same. He not only championed the equal rights but also equal access to economic opportunity for all Americans. This year’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service will honor his legacy as hundreds of thousands of Americans pay tribute by serving their communities on Monday, January 20.
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