AmeriCorps - Getting Things Done

By: Paula Kaiser Van Dam
Executive Director, Michigan Community Service Commission

This posting was borrowed from the Michigan Nonprofit Association Blog.

It is an exciting time for AmeriCorps. Saturday, May 9 kicked off the third annual National AmeriCorps Week – a recruitment and recognition initiative to bring more Americans into service, salute AmeriCorps members and alums for their powerful impact, and thank the community partners who make AmeriCorps possible. It also provides an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the work done by members in communities across the country and to motivate more Americans to join AmeriCorps or volunteer in their communities.

Governor Jennifer M. Granholm officially declared the week s Michigan’s AmeriCorps Week. Michigan’s AmeriCorps members will celebrate with large- and small-scale service projects aimed at “Getting Things Done” in their communities. The week will conclude with a statewide service project in Flint on May 15 and 16, officially titled the Michigan’s AmeriCorps Russ Mawby Signature Service Project. More than 250 members will come together to assist with building and landscaping projects and help construct a new play structure in Memorial Park. This opportunity will also serve as the official closing event for National AmeriCorps Week.

And, Michigan’s AmeriCorps recently took its efforts to the 2009 MNA SuperConference by conducting an on-site service project engaging conference attendees, exhibitors, and AmeriCorps members. Fifty fleece blankets were created and donated to the Department of Human Services Wayne County Central Operations. The blankets will be given to area youth being placed in foster care.

But beyond these events shining a spotlight on the good work of AmeriCorps, the recent signing of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act by President Obama further propels the efforts of AmeriCorps and national service beyond today. With the passage of this landmark legislation AmeriCorps will be expanded and strengthened in several ways:

• Growing the annual number of AmeriCorps positions from 75,000 to 250,000 by 2017 focusing their service on education, health, clean energy, veterans, and economic opportunities.

• Tying the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award to the maximum Pell Grant level (now at $5,350 but set to increase over time).

• Allowing older Americans serving to transfer their education award to a child or grandchild.

AmeriCorps will play a critical role in our state’s economic recovery. In 2009, more than 1,200 members will serve through 367 nonprofits. The demand for nonprofit service is at an all-time high. AmeriCorps will help expand their capacity to serve more clients, to provide more services, and to improve the quality of service provided. At a time when the media would have us believe there is little to celebrate AmeriCorps provides hope.

As the week progresses, I encourage you to discover AmeriCorps for yourself…whether that is visiting www.americorpsweek.gov to discover a local service project to participate in, logging on to www.michigan.gov/mcsc to learn about AmeriCorps programs in Michigan, or browsing www.nationalservice.org to discover how you can become a member.