Spring 2009
First Lady Mari Culver’s Shelter Awareness Day
Service Spotlight- AmeriCorps VISTA Member Melissa Simmermaker
Governor Culver recognizes National Volunteer Week in Iowa
President Obama Signs Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act
Legislature Acts to Expand Service and Honor AmeriCorps
President Obama Issues FY10 Budget Request for National Service
CNCS Launches National Listening Tour on Serve America Act
Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service Spring 2009 Newsletter
AmeriCorps Week is a recruitment and recognition event designed to bring more Americans into national service, salute AmeriCorps members and alums for their powerful impact, and thank the community partners who make AmeriCorps possible. AmeriCorps Week provides an opportunity for AmeriCorps members, alums, grantees, program partners, and friends 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. The third annual AmeriCorps Week will take place May 9-16, 2009.
Those with a special interest in AmeriCorps are encouraged to use their creativity to mark the week in any way they see fit. For example, members and alumni could make presentations to students or community groups. Grantees could stage an open house, service project, or volunteer fair. Local officials and leaders could be asked to serve as an AmeriCorps member for a day. If you’re planning an AmeriCorps Week activity, please register here: myproject.nationalservice.gov.
The Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service, Corporation for National and Community Service Iowa State Office, and Iowa NCCC Campus staff have been working with our programs, members and alums to plan projects across the state. The projects include service projects in Cedar Rapids and Des Moines, an open house in Des Moines, appreciation baseball games in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids and an alumni event in Des Moines. For more information on Iowa AmeriCorps Week activities see the Volunteer Iowa Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=30183734163&ref=ts#/event.php?eid=80352300204
AmeriCorps provides opportunities for 75,000 Americans to give back in an intensive way to their communities and country each year. It consists of three main programs: AmeriCorps State and National, whose members serve with more than 2,900 national and local nonprofit and community groups; AmeriCorps VISTA, through which members serve full time fighting poverty; and AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps), a team-based residential program for young adults 18-24 who carry out projects in public safety, the environment, youth development, and disaster relief and preparedness.