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By Katherine Parker

Senior Corps volunteering improves health, community engagement 

America’s older adult population faces a variety of challenges as they age, including social isolation and associated health concerns like depression. Senior Corps not only serves this population through our Senior Companion and Foster Grandparent programs but also makes it possible for older adults to give back to their communities. A recently released independent report by the Corporation for National and Community Service reveals the impact of this service – seniors who volunteer are healthier and happier.  

More than 80 percent of volunteers surveyed reported feeling healthier and feel less socially isolated after serving in Senior Corps. Older adults are more likely to face physical, financial, or social barriers to volunteering, but Senior Corps provides opportunities that accommodate these concerns and makes it possible for seniors to reengage as active community members.

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By Deborah Cox-Roush, Director, Senior Corps 

Join CNCS as we celebrate Older Americans Month

Community leader, mentor, disaster responder, tutor, patient advocate – these are just a few terms I am proud to use to describe Senior Corps volunteers. Tailored to adults age 55 and over, our Senior Corps Foster Grandparent, Senior Companion, and RSVP volunteer programs include more than 200,000 seniors nationwide who engage in volunteer activities that support critical community services that improve the quality of life for all generations. Now, as we enter May and Older Americans Month, I am delighted to report that while our volunteers are helping others, they are also improving their own health.  

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By Katherine Parker

April is a big month for those who give their time to serve; it is National Volunteer Month and National Volunteer Week from April 7-13. The Corporation for National and Community Service encourages all Americans to see this celebration of service as an invitation to connect with their community and lend a helping hand. If you are interested in volunteering but aren’t sure where to start, now is the perfect time to learn a bit more and join the fun.

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National Service Program Has Opened Path to College and Careers for 25 Years

By Chester Spellman, Director of AmeriCorps State and National

Everybody has a story to tell, as the saying goes. Within that story there is often an event that influences the direction of a person’s life. For the last 25 years, AmeriCorps has provided a setting for more than 1 million women and men to have experiences that changed lives and communities all across this nation.

Each year during March, the Corporation for National and Community Service celebrates AmeriCorps Week to highlight the accomplishments of our members and alumni in the communities they serve. And the stories are as diverse as the members and the thousands of ways they volunteer to serve their nation. Every day we hear stories about how AmeriCorps service transforms communities — and also has a transformational effect on our members.

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Program works to narrow the opportunity gap by improving early childhood literacy

By Luke Soon-Shiong, Reading Partners

[Editor’s note: A headline in the National Service News email on March 15, 2019, incorrectly listed the name of this program. We apologize for the error. ] Since 1993, the Corporation for National Community Service has inspired people across the country to give back as part of a national service movement. We’re incredibly proud to have 357 members from all over the country joining Reading Partners for a year of service. Our team of talented AmeriCorps members are committed to narrowing the opportunity gap for students through early childhood literacy. For this year’s AmeriCorps Week, we celebrate the work that AmeriCorps members accomplish with Reading Partners.

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We’re sharing more stories of AmeriCorps alumni whose paths were influenced by national service

By Katherine Parker

At the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), we are passionate about the work we do and the mission that drives it. As part of AmeriCorps Week – our annual celebration of AmeriCorps members, alumni, and programs – we are sharing the many ways lives and futures are being #MadeInAmeriCorps. 

The following vignettes come from a sample of CNCS staff members who served in AmeriCorps and were transformed by the experience and lasting impact of service.

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Earlier this year, the CNCS Office of Research & Evaluation (ORE) introduced recipients of the 2017 AmeriCorps State and National Evidence-based Intervention Planning Grants from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). At the start of the summer, we checked in with the grantees to get the latest scoop on their program planning and see what lessons they learned along the way.  

By now, most of the grantees’ planning periods have come to a close. For some, program development will carry on through continued efforts, while others have compiled their findings, which provide valuable guidance for other organizations seeking similar types of grants. With that, we conducted a final follow up with the grantees to hear about their latest program development updates, overall experience with their grants, and what’s next. 

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We’re highlighting stories of AmeriCorps alumni whose paths were influenced by national service

By Katherine Parker

At the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), we are passionate about the work we do and the mission that drives it. As part of AmeriCorps Week – our annual celebration of AmeriCorps members, alumni, and programs – we are sharing the many ways lives and futures are being #MadeInAmeriCorps.

The following vignettes come from a sample of CNCS staff members who served in AmeriCorps and were transformed by the experience and lasting impact of service. Come back on Thursday for another set of profiles.

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Bipartisan Leaders Call National Service ‘America’s Best-Kept Secret’

By Sandy Scott, CNCS Senior Advisor

National service was in the house and on the agenda Wednesday as the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service released findings from its interim report to an audience of nearly 200 leaders from the national service, military, and public sectors.

Launched in 2018, the bipartisan Commission was tasked to holistically and comprehensively review the Selective Service System and recommend policies to strengthen the ethic of service and increase service opportunities in America. 

During the last year, the Commissioners visited 24 cities in 15 states, and met with more than 300 organizations to listen and learn about ways to encourage and inspire more Americans to serve. 

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Ruby Bridges’ walk to school became a symbol of the Civil Rights struggle 

By Greg Tucker

(The following post previously appeared on the National Service Blog in 2015.)

In 1960, 6-year-old Ruby Bridges’ daily walk to class took her past an angry mob and into Civil Rights history when she became the first African American child to attend an all-white elementary school in the South.

Though she only lived five blocks from her new school, Ruby previously attended an all-black segregated school several miles away. After the Louisiana State Legislature exhausted all its options in a long battle against a federal court order to integrate the schools, Ruby was allowed to attend the classes near her home.

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Admiral Earl Gay knows a lot about inspiring others from 33 years of Navy service

January is National Mentoring Month and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) is supporting our friends at MENTOR by sharing some advice from a man who, among his many achievements, has made mentoring his mission: retired Navy Admiral Earl Gay.

Admiral Gay (pictured above, right) is the Senior Advisor for Wounded Warrior and Veterans and Military Families Initiatives at CNCS and says a lot of what he does is rooted in establishing trust, building relationships, and leading change, all of which fall under his concept of mentorship.

These traits come naturally to the Admiral as a leader of men and women in the armed forces. He willingly shares his life story, using wall-mounted photos of family and friends to illustrate his points, “I like people to have the whole story; it extends an arm of trust.”

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At the end of December, we like to look back over the last 12 months to get  some perspective on the last year in national service. Take a few minutes and join us as we remember 2018 at the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Barbara Stewart Named CEO of CNCS

Barbara Stewart (pictured above) became the new CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) after her nomination by President Donald Trump and unanimous confirmation by the U.S. Senate on Feb. 7, 2018. With more than 25 years of experience in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors, Stewart hit the ground running at CNCS with her strong management skills, operations experience, and passion for service.

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By Greg Tucker

We continue a Corporation for National and Community Service holiday tradition of sharing our remix of Clement Clarke Moore’s poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” (commonly known as “’Twas the Night Before Christmas”). We hope you enjoy this salute to our national service programs and volunteers.

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