National Service News: Cheers to Volunteers!

They are doing great things in a great way! [] [National Service News]( [CNCS studies continue to find thatvolunteering in America is strong.]( Cheers to Volunteers! During National Volunteer Month and the upcoming National Volunteer Week (April 7-13), the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) recognizes the contributions these selfless individuals make to their communities ... and the dividends that service pays in return. Millions and millions of Americans make volunteering a part of their daily lives. In fact, our latest [Volunteering In America study]( revealed that 77.4 million people (30.3 percent of the population) volunteered through an organization in 2017. That's not all. Our research determined that millions more support friends and family and do favors for their neighbors - something we like to refer to as "informal volunteering" that often slips under the radar when counting good deeds. We also know from [CNCS research into the health benefits of Senior Corps service]( that those volunteers are healthier, happier, and less isolated and less prone to depression. This study adds to the large body of work that supports the health benefits of volunteering. Volunteering is an important factor in our economic prosperity, freeing up resources to expand the capacity of nonprofits, faith-based groups, local agencies, and community organizations, allowing them to serve more people than they could without the extra help. Altogether, Americans volunteered nearly 6.9 billion hours, worth an estimated $167 billion in economic value, according to our research. Each year, [we help our nation celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. as a day of service](. Which brings us to a famous quote from Dr. King, who once said, "If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way." We would like to remix that quote a little to thank the nation's volunteers (and national service members): "Whether your task is great or small, thank you for doing great things in a great way." In service, Mike Cys Director, Office of External Affairs --------------------------------------------------------------- Editor's note: By clicking the links below, you may be connecting to websites created by parties other than the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). The CNCS Office of External Affairs provides links to these stories because they contain information that may be useful or interesting to the national service and volunteering community. These links are for reference only, and CNCS does not endorse the individuals or organizations associated with these links, and cannot attest to the accuracy of the information provided by websites outside of our control. --------------------------------------------------------------- The Impact of National Service [Peace Corps Dir. Jody Olsen (left), CNCS CEO Barbara Stewart (center), and VISTA Acting Director Eileen Conoboy discuss service on April 3.]( [CNCS and Peace Corps Unite to Celebrate National Service]( The Corporation for National and Community Service held a joint celebration of service with Peace Corps on Wednesday in Washington, D.C. Several panelists who served in Peace Corps and AmeriCorps joined program leaders to discuss the impact service made on their lives, their communities, and the places they served. If you missed the event, click the button below to watch it on Facebook. You can also [see photos from the event on the National Service Flickr site](. [Watch Facebook video]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [AmeriCorps alum Juan Flores is ready to assist a student during a math class at the Alternative Learning Center in Worthington, MN>]( [Flores Dreams of Teaching Career; to Give Back for Teachers Who Helped Him (AmeriCorps)]( If it weren’t for patient, compassionate, and supportive teachers, Juan Flores likely wouldn’t be helping students solve math problems or work through their social studies assignments. He also wouldn’t be wearing the identification badge of paraprofessional at the Alternative Learning Center in Worthington. If it wasn’t for the teachers who inspired him, he may not have aspired to be a teacher. A native of Aguascalientes, Mexico, Flores moved to Worthington with his family when he was 10. He left behind all that was familiar to him — home, friends and a country where everyone spoke Spanish. [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [AmeriCorps member Elizabeth Rojas Mendoza helps children with reading at the Mulberry Street Olivet Boys & Girls Club in Reading, PA.]( [Reading, PA, Teen Marks 1,000 Service Hours in Mission to Help Disadvantaged Children (AmeriCorps)]( Elizabeth Rojas Mendoza passed around crayons and coloring pages before launching into “Butterfly Boy.” As Elizabeth read the book, the group of elementary-age children around the table leaned in to hear the story of a boy's bond with his wheelchair-bound grandfather and the pair's mutual delight in red admiral butterflies. The literacy activity at Olivet Boys & Girls Clubs' Mulberry Street facility included reading the book by Virginia Kroll with illustrations by Gerardo Suzan, talking about the story and associating it with an activity. The three-fold technique, a component of Olivet's Kidz Lit program, helps cement lessons in the children's memories. Elizabeth, 18, of Reading helps facilitate the reading enrichment program for kindergarten through eighth-grade students as a member of AmeriCorps. [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Share It: Thanks Recognition Day Supporters! [CNCS thanks all the leaders who supported the 2019 National Service Recognition Day.]( the message on Facebook]( or like]( Each week, we provide a social media shareable for your networks. Many of our [AmeriCorps]( and [Senior Corps]( programs that support volunteering across America were heralded this week during our seventh-annual [National Service Recognition Day.]( We want to thank the thousands of leaders, from Congress to the smallest towns and counties, who joined in this celebration of national service. We make a great team. Our team created a recap of the day in a [new Twitter moment](. Help us spread the word by sharing how #NationalServiceWorks in your community through your social media networks. --------------------------------------------------------------- National Service in the News [Click here to find 12 easy ways to start volunteering in your community.]( [12 Easy Ways to Volunteer]( National Service Blog 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. [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Community Service Day Held at Heartland Rescue Ranch (AmeriCorps)]( WJHG/WECP-TV, Florida [Editor's note: Cute animal alert!] Heartland Rescue Ranch takes in abandoned and neglected animals and helps to rehabilitate and re-home those animals. Team members from FEMA Corps began volunteering at Heartland Rescue Ranch in Panama City after Hurricane Michael. They fell in love with the non-profit and decided to host a community service day to help out with the recovery process. Amy Shepherd, founder of Heartland Rescue Ranch, said, "This is something actually that AmeriCorps came to us and asked us to host and we thought it'd be a great idea, we thought a couple months ago that we had seen the worst of the storm, unfortunately it continues to get worse." [Read more and watch video]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [El Dorado Mayor Joins Nationwide Effort to Recognize Impact of National Service (AmeriCorps/Senior Corps)]( El Dorado News-Times, Arkansas El Dorado Mayor Veronica Smith-Creer has joined mayors from across the country to recognize National Service Recognition Day. The effort is part of a nationwide bipartisan movement to recognize the positive impact of service in counties, to thank those who serve and to encourage residents to give back to their communities. The day, which is recognized on April 2, is sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), with support from the National League of Cities, the National Association of Counties and Cities of Service. “People considered me to be a community leader due to my involvement in community service," Smith-Creer said. "When you want to see success in your city, volunteers to serve! Everyone has a point of passion and a particular give of giving. Identify it and serve in that capacity.” [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Local Leaders Honor AmeriCorps, Senior Corps Volunteers]( Observer-Dispatch, New York “You have no idea the lives that you change each and every day that you touched them. We understand that we are a great community because of great people like you.” That’s what Utica Mayor Robert Palmieri had to say to a group of local volunteers Tuesday as he and Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente Jr. joined more than 2,276 city and county leaders across the country in recognizing the impact that AmeriCorps and Senior Corps volunteers have in their communities. [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [AmeriCorps member Erin Sliney is an environmental educator serving through the Environmental Education Leadership Corps in Kentucky.]( [Environmental Educator Spreads Passion for Nature (AmeriCorps)]( The Chinquapin Oak on Winchester’s Traveling Trail has grown in an open environment for likely it’s whole life, spreading its roots and branches far and wide, rising to its fullest potential. Erin Sliney, Clark County’s newest environmental educator, said she’s been learning more about venerable trees of the Bluegrass and Clark County’s unique landscape, since joining The Greater Clark Foundation team in October 2018. “It’s unique and lush and beautiful,” she said. Sliney, 29, is an environmental educator and AmeriCorps service member serving Clark County at GCF through AmeriCorps’ Environmental Education Leadership Corps (EELCorps), an AmeriCorps program funded through Serve Kentucky and offered exclusively in Kentucky. The Kentucky Environmental Education Council administers the program. [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Mahalo, Service Volunteers! (AmeriCorps/Senior Corps)]( The Garden Island, Hawaii Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami said the county could not afford to pay for the countless hours of work accomplished by the AmeriCorps and Senior Corps volunteers on Kauai. He joined thousands of other government leaders across the country to acknowledge and thank the volunteers for their contributions on National Service Recognition Day, the annual initiative being led by the Corporation for National and Community Service, the National League of Cities, the National Association of Counties and Cities of Service. [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [AmeriCorps Team Comes to Youngstown to Make City Improvements]( WKBN-TV, Ohio AmeriCorps sent a team of workers back to Youngstown to make improvements around the city. The government-supported civil society program has been sending teams to the Valley for the past decade. The Oak Team is in town with 10 members from across the country. They have been here for three weeks and have three more weeks to go. AmeriCorps members make four stops while being involved in the 10-month program. [Read more and watch video]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [BLM Completes Repair of Fire, Storm Damage on Recreational Trails (AmeriCorps)]( U.S. Bureau of Land Management, California Recreation trails on public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management are ready for the busy spring and summer seasons, as crews have finished repairing fire and winter storm damage. “We owe a huge thanks to a crew from AmeriCorps, members of the Redding Trail Alliance and trail enthusiasts who volunteered with us to get the trails ready for use,” said Jennifer Mata, manager of the BLM Redding Field Office. “Some worked seven-day weeks for more than a month. The reward is seeing people back out on the trails, hiking, bicycling and riding their horses.” [Read more]( [NationalService.gov]( | [Manage Preferences]( [facebook]( We sent this email to {EMAIL} on behalf of the Corporation for National and Community Service. 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