FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Mar 20, 2023

Michael D. Smith visits national service projects and meets AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers in Atlanta and joins Rep. Nikema Williams to announce new funding

WASHINGTON, DC— On March 16-17, AmeriCorps CEO Michael D. Smith visited the Atlanta area to tour national service projects in action and meet with AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers. The trip closed out AmeriCorps Week, an annual celebration of national service led by AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism. 

On Thursday, March 16, Smith kicked off his trip with Hands On Atlanta, where he met AmeriCorps members and heard first-hand about their experiences serving as tutors and mentors. Hands On Atlanta is an AmeriCorps grantee dedicated to tackling Atlanta's most pressing needs. Smith then visited Jolly Elementary School where he joined AmeriCorps members serving with New American Pathways, a nonprofit organization with the mission of helping refugees in Georgia thrive. New American Pathway’s AmeriCorps Project RISE, also known as Refugee and Immigrant Success through Education, focuses on educational services to address the significant literacy gap in the refugee community, among both youth and their parents. Smith ended his day by joining a gathering of AmeriCorps alumni and hearing about their experiences and life after service in Atlanta. 

On Friday, March 17, Smith joined Rep. Nikema Williams (GA-05) at the Center of Black Women’s Wellness to announce the continuation of AmeriCorps VISTA support at the center and two other local organizations, Covenant Community, Inc., and Georgia State University Alonzo A. Crim Center for Urban Educational Excellence. The Center of Black Women’s Wellness is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the health and well-being of underserved Black women and their families. Smith then concluded his trip with Easterseals North Georgia where he met with AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers serving in the program. Easterseals North Georgia is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the health and development of children with and without disabilities, their families and the surrounding community. 

Last year in Georgia, more than 2,400 Americans of all backgrounds united at more than 400 locations to meet local needs, strengthen communities and expand opportunity through national service. In 2022, AmeriCorps invested more than $17.9 million in federal funding to support cost-effective community solutions, working directly with local partners to empower individuals to help communities tackle their toughest challenges.

Follow AmeriCorps on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn for additional highlights from Smith’s trip during AmeriCorps Week.

AmeriCorps Week Celebrations in Georgia
AmeriCorps Week Celebrations in Georgia
AmeriCorps Week Celebrations in Georgia
AmeriCorps Week Celebrations in Georgia

AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism, provides opportunities for Americans to serve their country domestically, address the nation’s most pressing challenges, improve lives and communities, and strengthen civic engagement. Each year, the agency places more than 200,000 AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers in intensive service roles; and empowers millions more to serve as long-term, short-term, or one-time volunteers. Learn more at AmeriCorps.gov.

AmeriCorps offers opportunities for individuals of all backgrounds to be a part of the national service community, grow personally and professionally, and receive benefits for their service. Learn how to get involved at AmeriCorps.gov/serve.