FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Apr 20, 2009

Dear Colleagues,

Greetings at the start of a particularly historic National Volunteer Week. Tomorrow President Obama is scheduled to sign the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act into law in a 4 p.m. ceremony at the SEED School of Washington, DC. Later, in a sign of his strong and continuing commitment to national service as a solution to the nation’s challenges, President and Mrs. Obama also plan to participate in a service event oriented toward Earth Day. Later this week comes Global Youth Service Day. And on Friday, I’m very excited to be in Albuquerque to swear in the first large cohort of 200 AmeriCorps VISTA members funded by the Recovery Act.

We expect local and regional cable coverage of tomorrow’s events, and are hoping the White House will webcast the signing ceremony at http://www.whitehouse.gov. As quickly as possible after the signing, we will also attempt to have video available on our web site as well. I encourage everyone to tune in and witness this history in the making.

The Serve America Act is the culmination of years of hard work on the part of many people, but it would never have been possible without your decades of inspired service in the field and here at the Corporation. I know the Board joins me in expressing our gratitude for all that you have done to bring us to where we are today – at the dawn of nothing less than a new era of national service.

Nicola Goren
Acting CEO
Corporation for National and Community Service

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.