National Service News: Join a Conversation about Expanding National Service

A new commission has a lot to talk about [] Having trouble viewing this email? [View it as a Web page](. [The National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service is leading a conversation about increasing involvement in service.]( Join a Conversation about Expanding National Service The idea of service and volunteering is one that we’re obviously attached to here at the Corporation for National and Community Service. You could even say that we have a very particular set of skills in this area. Last year, Congress established the [National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service]( a bipartisan federal agency, to explore ways to foster a greater ethos of service among our nation’s citizens, especially young people, in order to strengthen American democracy. This two-year effort hopes to spark a national conversation that will lead, ultimately, to every American being inspired and eager to serve. The commission kicked off its first public conversation last month in Harrisburg, PA. It will be travelling around the country to listen to the public, learn from those who serve, and understand the barriers and incentives to service. The commission expects to deliver a report and recommendations for the President, Congress, and the American people by March 2020. Our large network of AmeriCorps and Senior Corps program staff, members, volunteers, and alumni have a lot to contribute to this dialogue. You know better than most how service is a pathway to workforce skills, how service engages veterans and military families, and the strategies we use to incentivize service. The commission wants to hear from as many people as possible during this conversation. We encourage you to explore its website at [www.inspire2serve.gov](. You may also [submit comments by April 18 through the commission’s notice on the Federal Register](. We encourage everyone to join in this conversation about expanding service. After all, who knows more about the benefits of service and volunteering than the national service family? In Service, CNCS Office of External Affairs The Impact of National Service [AmeriCorps NCCC members are partnering with Flint Police and the Flint National Service Accelerator to combat blight and crime in the community.]( Police Launch Initiative to Clean Up Neighborhoods, Make Streets Safer (AmeriCorps)]( Four teams of eight AmeriCorps members plan to be in Flint for six weeks each. They'll pick up trash, mow abandoned lots, board up houses, replace light bulbs on porches, the list goes on. "It's going great. We're three days into our first project; but we've been training for the last several months. So, this is what we've been waiting for," explained AmeriCorps Field Team Leader, Robin Gropp. You'll see the teams throughout Flint for the next several months. They'll be wearing black or grey jackets with the AmeriCorps patch. A team of Flint Community Police or Neighborhood Safety Officers will be working alongside them. The Flint Police Department invited the volunteers to the City asking for help. [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Volunteers with the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) gather for a photo on March 8 at a special luncheon honoring their efforts.]( [OlyCAP Honors Senior Volunteers Across the Peninsula (Senior Corps)]( Tutors, drivers, food bank volunteers and more were honored at a recent luncheon hosted by Olympic Community Action Programs, OlyCAP, in Sequim. More than 40 of 200-plus dedicated volunteers with the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, RSVP, of Clallam and Jefferson Counties attended the March 8 event at the Guy Cole Events Center in Carrie Blake Community Park. OlyCAP staff commended the RSVP volunteers for providing more than 27,000 hours of service to the Senior Corps program in the last year. [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Amy Millington, president of the eBay Foundation, was a member of the first LISC AmeriCorps cohort in 1994. ]( [LISC AmeriCorps: A Whole Generation of Passionate Community Leaders]( One is president of the eBay Foundation, based in the Bay Area. Another trains financial advisors at Morgan Stanley in Chicago. A third is a newly minted housing counselor at the Albany County Land Bank in New York State. What do they have in common? At a defining moment in their lives, through LISC, they joined AmeriCorps, a federal service initiative often likened to a domestic Peace Corps with a pledge that begins, “I will get things done for America.” [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Teach For America instructors is supporting Karlie Kloss's Coding Camp that will sponsor 1,000 girls this summer.]( [Karlie Kloss’s Coding Camp Will Sponsor 1,000 Girls This Summer (AmeriCorps)]( In 2015, Karlie Kloss sponsored 21 young women so they could attend a two-week coding class at the Flatiron School. It was the same class that Kloss herself had taken the year prior, as her first exposure to coding. The model was convinced that, like her, a lot of girls were interested in coding–contrary to what some people might think–but often either weren’t encouraged or lacked access to courses. That’s why Kloss debuted Kode With Klossy the following year. The two-week coding camp hosts girls ages 13-18 each summer, and this year, Kode With Klossy is expanding its footprint to 50 camps across 25 cities. That means the camp will grant 1,000 young women the opportunity to learn to code–or build on their existing skill set-free of charge. [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Share It: A Look Back at AmeriCorps Week [Thanks for making AmeriCorps Week 2018 a success!]( ]( Each week, we provide a social media shareable to use on your networks. OK, so we're still talking about AmeriCorps Week 2018, but it's kind of a big deal around here. This is a chance to catch up on some of the ICMYI moments from our celebration of all things AmeriCorps. Click the Twitter button to see a recap of some of the best posts in a [Twitter moment recapping the week]( or tap the Facebook button above to [find out where Rosie has been hiding on the National Mall]( for making AmeriCorps Week 2018 a success and sharing these posts on your social media networks. --------------------------------------------------------------- National Service in the News [Hundreds of AmeriCorps Members Serve in Williamsport]( WNEP-TV, Pennsylvania Even though spring is still a week away, a nonprofit group tackled a gardening project in Lycoming County. It was just one of several projects completed Tuesday by members of AmeriCorps. Normally Alexandra Lennon works with the nonprofit "Up 2 Us Sports" in Philadelphia. Thanks to PennSERVE AmeriCorps, a nonprofit dedicated to serving others, she's spent this day helping to bring a mural in Williamsport to life. Once a year, hundreds of helping hands come together for a day of appreciation, learning, and service. This year, for the first time, about 600 Pennsylvania AmeriCorps members from across the state spent that day in the Williamsport area. [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Volunteers of America, Dakotas’ Senior Corps to Join Nationwide Effort to Recognize Impact of National Service]( The Watertown Public Opinion, South Dakota On April 3, Volunteers of America, Dakotas’ RSVP, Foster Grandparents and Senior Companion volunteers will join more than 4,000 city and county leaders across the country in a day of recognition to highlight the impact of Senior Corps on Watertown challenges. Volunteers of America, Dakotas Senior Corps will participate in National Service Recognition Day on Tuesday, April 3, at Watertown’s City Hall with Mayor Sarah Caron and Codington County Commissioners for a time of refreshments and conversation regarding volunteer opportunities in the community that make an impact in the city. [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [National Service: Getting Things Done for St. Louis (AmeriCorps)]( St. Louis Post Dispatch, Missouri Few things bring Missourians together like service to their country and community. Whether it’s responding to natural disasters or helping returning veterans, Missourians from all walks of life come together to help their neighbors. Time after time, we see service bridge the divides of race, gender, socioeconomic status and politics to bring citizens together in common purpose. Those of us who occupy the city halls know this because we see this work every day. Today, more than 5,300 people of all ages and backgrounds are helping meet local needs, strengthen communities and increase civic engagement though national service in Missouri. Each year, approximately 1,000 AmeriCorps members and 4,000 Senior Corps volunteers serve at more than 1,000 sites across the state. While here in the St. Louis area, more than 800 AmeriCorps and Senior Corps members are in nearly 200 locations. [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [AmeriCorps Partner in Learning Program Provides Crucial Help to Dubuque Schools]( KWWL-TV, Iowa Inside Eisenhower Elementary School in Dubuque, it's a common sight to see blue-shirted tutors sitting outside of classrooms, working with students on their reading. Sue Roerig is one of the members of AmeriCorps' Partner in Learning program, which helps students who may be struggling with reading. "I think the kids would fall through the cracks, and I hate to see any child do that," she said. That program has provided more than 440,000 hours of help in Dubuque since 2000. [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Raising Buried Headstones in the National Cemetery (AmeriCorps)]( KNOE-TV, Mississippi Headstones of fallen soldiers are getting a lift. The Vicksburg National Military Park and AmeriCorps are raising buried headstones at the National Cemetery. It's a constant battle with the geology here," Scott Babinowich says. More than 700 headstones are sinking thanks to the fine sediment soil that makes up the Vicksburg National Cemetery. "Whether it's erosion of the cemetery or erosion of the cliffs or roads, just the soil here is such a unique factor," he says. Babinowich says restoring the headstones is a project that started about ten years ago, and it's finally taking the next step. [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Volunteers Pack Sandbags to Prevent Flooding in Warren County (AmeriCorps)]( KPLC-TV, Louisiana The Mississippi River is above flood stage and is steadily rising, causing a threat to homes and businesses. "Eagle Lake is dealing with issues from the Mississippi River and backwater flooding," said Sheriff Martin Pace. Emergency officials teamed up with AmeriCorps to help fill hundreds of sandbags to stop water from moving into neighborhoods at Eagle Lake. “I am really worried about it getting into homes and businesses, places where it shouldn't be or places it would cause a lot of damage,” said volunteer, Tayah Nelson. The plan is to use the bags to build a dam around the main culvert in the area. Emergency officials say crews will also pump out the water in the dam and send it back to where it came from. [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [How to Get More Americans to Volunteer (CNCS)]( Chicago Sun Times, Illinois Alexis de Tocqueville, the 19th-century Frenchman fascinated by U.S. life, praised what he saw during his travels across the new nation as an unusual eagerness to volunteer. Today, Americans volunteer as everything from youth basketball coaches to museum docents. This tradition of devoting personal time to a good cause has become a cornerstone of how public services are delivered, with government programs and nonprofits alike leaning on volunteers to stretch their budgets and meet the needs of a wide array of communities. [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Everyday People: His Daytimes are Disasters (AmeriCorps)]( The Daily Astorian, Oregon Jason Pollack spends his work days contemplating disasters — large and small — in Astoria. But he still likes it here. Astoria was a familiar place even before he moved here as a member of the Resource Assistance for Rural Environments program. A native Oregonian, Pollack grew up in Beaverton and attended the University of Oregon. He visited the Astoria Column and the Columbia River Maritime Museum when he was in elementary school. RARE, as the program that brought Pollack to Astoria is often referred to, is part of AmeriCorps and administered through the University of Oregon. RARE members are placed in participating communities and have assisted Astoria in particular with a number of projects over the years. They have helped the Astoria Downtown Historic District Association with the Main Street program to promote and rebuild the city’s downtown area. They have also helped inventory park sites and facilities, meeting with the community to figure out current and future needs. In return, the city and organizations have provided training and experience. [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Lisa Quiroz, Former CNCS Board Chair, Has Died at 56]( Adweek Lisa Garcia Quiroz, president of the Time Warner Foundation, and SVP and chief diversity officer of Time Warner, passed away Friday at age 56 after a 16-month battle with pancreatic cancer. A Harvard University graduate, Quiroz was recruited by Time Inc. while she was completing her MBA at Harvard. She spent her career at Time Inc. and, later, Time Warner. She was the founding editor of Time for Kids and the founding publisher of People en Español. Beyond her own professional accomplishments, Quiroz was a leader and mentor for a generation of Hispanic media professionals. She was board chairman of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund; President Obama appointed her chairman of the Corporation for National and Community Service Board of Directors; and she was instrumental in supporting Lin-Manuel Miranda with his first Broadway show, "In The Heights." 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