WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.), Senate Co-Chairs of the National Service Congressional Caucus; Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Vice Chairs of the caucus; and House of Representatives Co-Chairs Garret Graves (R-La.) and Doris Matsui (D-Calif.), today released a resolution in celebration of AmeriCorps Week, which runs March 10-16, 2024. Founded 30 years ago to increase national service opportunities while providing a pathway to education, AmeriCorps members comes from all backgrounds and walks of life to engage in meaningful service for others.
“Over the past three decades, more than 1 million AmeriCorps members have rolled up their sleeves and gotten things done for our nation,” said Senator Coons. “This week, we celebrate their work to mentor students, tackle food insecurity, improve public health, respond to disasters, protect the environment, and support local communities across our country. As Co-Chair of the National Service Caucus, I applaud the more than 200,000 current AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers who rise each day to make America a better place and encourage all those contemplating national service to consider AmeriCorps as a way to make meaningful change.”
“AmeriCorps members dedicate their lives to those who need a helping hand. From empowering students in the classroom to supporting veterans transitioning to civilian life, they help build stronger communities,” said Senator Cassidy. “This resolution ensures their service does not go unnoticed.”
“Every day, AmeriCorps empowers people of every background to step forward and serve their fellow Americans,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “AmeriCorps members are a truly uniting force – bridging divides, extending a helping hand, and offering a trusted framework for building powerful and sustainable relationships across our communities. This resolution celebrates these achievements and uplifts the essential role of national service programs. The spirit of service is an integral part of our national identity, and my National Service Caucus Co-Chairs and I are dedicated to finding ways to expand opportunities for national service to every corner of our nation.”
“We in South Louisiana feel the direct impact of national service volunteers in our communities – like the Cajun Navy, Samaritan’s Purse, and Baptist Relief Missions, AmeriCorps volunteers have joined thousands in our community to help gut, clean, and rebuild tens of thousands of flooded homes,” said Congressman Garret Graves. “They also work in our schools to help chart a better course for our youth, and their public health initiatives focus on expanding and modernizing health care access in rural areas. Their mission is focused on community recovery, improvements in education, decreasing preventable illness, and helping folks find pathways to independence. How could you not celebrate that? I’m proud to recognize their contributions to our communities across the nation this week and always.”
“For the last 30 years, we’ve seen time and time again that national service unites us and builds shared purpose in our communities,” said Michael D. Smith, CEO of AmeriCorps. “As our country celebrates the lasting impact of generations of AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers during AmeriCorps Week, I am especially grateful for the bipartisan leaders of the National Service Congressional Caucus who make their service possible. Thank you to Senator Coons and Senator Cassidy, and Representative Matsui and Representative Graves, for their efforts to make national service an indispensable part of the American experience while reducing barriers to serve. The Biden-Harris administration believes in the transformative power of service to tackle pressing challenges while inspiring unity.”
“As we celebrate AmeriCorps Week this year, we also celebrate AmeriCorps’ 30th anniversary – three decades of tens of thousands of young people responding to the country’s most immediate and critical needs and supporting local nonprofit, faith-based, and community organizations,” said AnnMaura Connolly, President of Voices for National Service. “As always, we’re deeply grateful to Senators Chris Coons, Bill Cassidy, Shelley Moore Capito, and Martin Heinrich and Representatives Doris Matsui and Garret Graves for their leadership of the National Service Congressional Caucus. We are especially thankful for their commitment to AmeriCorps, a commonsense solution we can all agree should be expanded and strengthened.”
“The National Service Caucus serves as a vital bipartisan voice helping to educate Congress on the importance of national service and its ability to address key needs while bringing communities together,” said Kaira Esgate, CEO of America’s Service Commissions. “On behalf of state and territorial service commissions, we applaud Senators Coons, Cassidy, Heinrich, and Capito, and Representatives Graves and Matsui, for their efforts in growing the bipartisan support and reach of the caucus. We look forward to continuing to work with the caucus on ensuring AmeriCorps and our states and territories have adequate resources to support opportunities to serve in AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors on projects that develop new workforce pathways, aid veterans and their families, recover from natural disasters and build climate resilience, and help students overcome learning loss and make educational gains.”
AmeriCorps by the numbers, nationally:
AmeriCorps by the numbers in Delaware:
The full text of the resolution is available here.
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