FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 27, 2016
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Sunday, May 29, Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency that administers AmeriCorps, will begin her first-ever tour of AmeriCorps and Senior Corps programs across Alaska. This trip will highlight the impact national service programs are making in local communities and reinforce the importance of national service and volunteer programs. 
 
Alaska is a strong service state, ranking eighth in the country for volunteering. Currently, more than 600 Alaska residents serve through AmeriCorps and Senior Corps in more than 150 locations across Alaska. They tutor and mentor children, restore the environment, respond to disasters, increase economic opportunity, and recruit and manage volunteers. 
 
CEO Wendy Spencer will join local leaders and national service members at multiple sites in Yakutat, Anchorage, Hooper Bay, Bethel, and Sitka. A summary of site visits and events are listed below. Please contact pressoffice@cns.gov if you are interested in attending an event(s) to receive additional details or if you would like to set up an interview with Ms. Spencer and/or national service members. 
 
Sunday, May 29
 
  • On Sunday, Ms. Spencer will arrive in Yakutat to tour AmeriCorps service sites. She will join them in their service for the day – painting lockers at Yakutat School and repairing the pavilion at Cannon Beach. 
Monday, May 30
 
  • On Monday, Spencer will travel to Anchorage. 
Tuesday, May 31
 
  • On Tuesday, Spencer will be in Anchorage to lead a roundtable discussion with local leaders about national service programs and their benefit to disaster response. In the afternoon, she will join Mayor Berkowitz to announce national service investments in Alaska. Later that day, she will participate in a panel discussion with current national service grantees that support tribal communities in the state.
Wednesday, June 1
 
  • On Wednesday, Spencer will travel to Hooper Bay to meet with community leaders and community elders. Later that evening, she will participate in a community celebration of service, honoring current and former national service participants in the area. 
Thursday, June 2
 
  • On Thursday, Spencer will travel to Bethel to meet with JVC Northwest AmeriCorps members. She will travel back to Anchorage, where she will visit Senior Corps volunteers serving at McLaughlin Youth Detention Center as Elder Mentors. Following that visit, Spencer will meet with AmeriCorps VISTA members serving with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. In the evening, Spencer will travel to Sitka.
Friday, June 3
 
  • On Friday, Spencer will meet with Mayor of Sitka, Mim McConnell. She will also visit AmeriCorps members and their service sites in the region. In the evening, she will return to Anchorage.
Saturday, June 4
 
  • On Saturday, Spencer will be joined by AmeriCorps members and volunteers to clean up McPhee Community Gardens, an Anchorage Community Land Trust garden in Mountain View.

AmeriCorps, a federal agency, brings people together to tackle the country's most pressing challenges through national service and volunteering. AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers serve with organizations dedicated to the improvement of communities. AmeriCorps helps make service to others a cornerstone of our national culture. Learn more at AmeriCorps.gov.