For decades, our agency has engaged people of all ages and backgrounds in getting things done - improving lives, strengthening communities, and expanding opportunity. Today, service is needed more than ever. To meet current and future challenges, it is essential that more individuals know how they can serve their communities and country. But all too often, the public doesn’t know what national service is, the benefits, or how to get involved. That’s why we are taking steps to increase awareness and ensure more people know about opportunities to serve. 

Despite the obstacles presented by COVID-19, AmeriCorps and Senior Corps programs across the country have acted quickly and creatively to continue their critical work in new ways, or to pivot to meet emerging needs.

Since the start of the national emergency, more than 8,500 AmeriCorps members and Senior Corps volunteers have served in direct response to COVID-19. Collectively, these national service members have:

Despite the obstacles presented by COVID-19, AmeriCorps and Senior Corps programs across the country have acted quickly and creatively to continue their critical work in new ways, or to pivot to meet emerging needs.

Since the start of the national emergency, more than 6,275 AmeriCorps members and Senior Corps volunteers have served in direct response to COVID-19. Collectively, these national service members have:

At the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), we are also asking the question, “What does volunteerism look like in the time of coronavirus?”

For all of us who want to help our local communities, operating during a pandemic is new territory. How can we continue to meet community needs when health and safety calls for us to be apart?

I’d like to share some examples of how different Senior Corps organizations are finding the light in this difficult time. Thank you for all you do.

This annual celebration of outdoor activities and their benefits has grown from a week-long celebration in 1998 to cover the entire month of June. Whether you are into fishing, camping, hiking, biking, or other outside pursuits, there are plenty of places to enjoy them. You could spend all summer exploring some of the 419 locations in the National Park System, or visit some of the thousands of state and local park facilities near you.

Elder abuse takes many forms — physical, emotional, financial, and sexual — and can come at the hands of strangers, family, and trusted caregivers or advisers. Studies estimate that 10 percent of America's seniors experience some kind of abuse and neglect, although it's generally agreed that incidents are under-identified and under-reported. For example, the New York State Elder Abuse Prevalence Study found that for every case known to programs and agencies, 24 were unknown.

The unusual storm was preceded by milder temperatures that surged northward ahead of it which allowed snow that was already on the ground to melt, ice on rivers to break up, and brought additional precipitation in the form of rain. The impact of this weather forced many evacuations, including a third of the 24,000 residents in Norfolk, Nebraska, due to concerns of flooding as the city's levee system neared its top.

Nearly 120 national service members responded during the disaster response in Nebraska from our CNCS programs.

More than 80 percent of volunteers surveyed reported feeling healthier and less socially isolated after serving in Senior Corps. Older adults are more likely to face physical, financial, or social barriers to volunteering, but Senior Corps provides opportunities that accommodate exceptional needs and make it possible for seniors to reengage as active community members.

The Benefits of National Service