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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For a tireless group of Senior Corps RSVP veteran volunteers, Monday’s groundbreaking of the Johnston County Veteran Center in Tishomingo, Okla. will be a celebration six years and thousands of hours of service in the making.

Monday marks the biggest moment yet in a long journey to raise the 10,000 square foot center, and the groundbreaking ceremony will commemorate it appropriately; federal, state, tribal, and local officials will all be in Tishomingo to participate in the ceremony led by the Senior Corps volunteers.

With coordination through INCA Community Services, Inc., 15 veteran volunteers have spearheaded the center’s fundraising efforts, building design oversight, and engineering. To date they have raised a staggering $600,000 toward the $1 million cost of the center. Over the course of the project, Senior Corps volunteers have surpassed thousands of hours of service.

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New data reinforces what our Senior Corps volunteers say: there are significant health benefits associated with senior volunteering. Watch the videos below to see how Senior Corps programs like Foster Grandparents and Senior Companions improve the well-being of those who serve.

Read more about the data at SeniorCorps.gov/HealthyVolunteers.

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As we close Older Americans Month and Memorial Day, we know that our volunteers never stop serving. And connecting veterans and military families to critical community resources is an honorable mission that one Senior Corps program in Kentucky has taken to heart.  For the fifth consecutive year, the RSVP of Audubon Area Community Services, Inc. hosted the Veterans Resource Fair / Operation Stand Down.

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By Emily Shea, City of Boston Commissioner on Affairs of the Elderly

Giving back is a two-way street. Senior Corps programs enrich the city of Boston, adding meaning and purpose to the lives of the recipients as well as the volunteers themselves.

In my experience as Commissioner on Affairs of the Elderly for the City of Boston as well as my time as Director of Elders Services at ABCD, I have had the opportunity to work with Senior Corps volunteers, who are 55 and over, from all three programs: RSVP, Senior Companions, and Foster Grandparents. What makes these programs so special is the amazing commitment from older adult volunteers.

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By Mei Cobb, United Way

“Seniors are a source of energy we need to plug into” says Becky Polk, RSVP Program Director of Central County United Way in Hemet, CA. In more than 28,000 locations across the U.S., the nation’s Senior Corps program does just that.

Through Senior Corps, Foster Grandparents are mentoring and tutoring students, Senior Companions are helping the frail elderly remain in their own homes, and RSVP volunteers help out with disaster relief, caring for the environment, supporting veterans and military families, and providing tax preparation services to low-income and elderly individuals.

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By Megan McCarthy, Gen2Gen 

Former Senior Corps RSVP Director Followed Grandmother’s Example

As a young adult, I spent 10 years serving as a Senior Corps RSVP Director, working with thousands of volunteers 55+ committed to using their wisdom and experience to benefit society. It’s no coincidence I chose a career that surrounded me with older adults. I have my grandmother Florence to thank for that.

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By Walt McFadden, Senior Corps Department Director

Communities across Southeast Texas were plagued by repeated floods between March and June of 2016. Rather than stand idly by, Senior Corps RSVP of Southeast Texas volunteers found ways to lend a hand.  

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AmeriCorps Disaster Response Team members - including AmeriCorps NCCC and California Conservation Corps - are on the ground assisting at evacuation centers for displaced residents of Oroville, Calif., and the surrounding area.

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By Catherine Frondorf

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