FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 05, 2010

Washington, DC—Thousands of community volunteers will join AmeriCorps members and alumni to host more than 200 service projects, events, receptions, and presentations during the Fourth Annual AmeriCorps Week, May 8-15.

“AmeriCorps Week is more than a way to honor AmeriCorps members for their great achievements in communities across the country,” said Patrick Corvington, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, which oversees AmeriCorps. “It's an opportunity to trumpet the impact of AmeriCorps service to transform lives and communities.”

Nearly 650,000 AmeriCorps members have committed more than 700 million hours to addressing real problems in communities – from soaring dropout rates to unemployment and disaster recovery – since 1994. Every federal dollar invested in AmeriCorps programs helps rebuild local economies, build stronger communities, and meet the needs of our nation's most vulnerable citizens. Last year alone, AmeriCorps recruited over 2.4 million community volunteers, raised over $183 million in support of local service initiatives, and helped place more than 7,700 people in jobs. Interest in AmeriCorps is at an all time high, with applications to join the program tripling over the past year.

AmeriCorps Week raises awareness about the program's impact on the direction of the nation, and shines a spotlight on service to encourage more Americans to volunteer. Over the course of the week, hundreds of events will take place in big and small town across the country. Below are examples of service projects. Click here to learn more about AmeriCorps Week.

  • AmeriCorps Week kicks off May 8 with a 24-hour Build A Bed Project in Frankfort, KY. The project will bring together 2,500 volunteers, including Mayor Gippy Graham, to build 500 beds for children whose families cannot afford furniture.
  • The St. Bernard Project in Chalmette, LA, will rebuild a home May 10-15 with the help of more than 300 volunteers to highlight the needs of the 1,000 families still living in FEMA trailers and 9,000 more in temporary housing.
  • More than 1,000 AmeriCorps members and community volunteers in Detroit, MI, will plant a 15,000 square-foot community garden, clean up parks and neighborhoods, and offer service-learning and educational opportunities for all ages on May 10.
  • Washington, DC, will host an All Corps Service Day on May 15, with AmeriCorps members and alumni giving neighborhoods a spring cleaning.
  • The Mall in front of the state capitol in Dover, DE, will be the site of a house-framing for Habitat for Humanity with AmeriCorps members, volunteers, and elected officials pitching in on May 12.
  • Rep. Doris Matsui will recognize the good work of AmeriCorps at the NCCC campus in Sacramento, CA, and be named an Honorary AmeriCorps for a Day Member during a May14 service project.
  • Mayor Michael Nutter will headline a rally in Philadelphia, PA, before 1,000 AmeriCorps members and volunteers fan out throughout the city for day of service.

Among the AmeriCorps Week celebrations is a May 12 reception at the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, DC, hosted by Senator Rockefeller, a former AmeriCorps VISTA, to mark the program's 45th anniversary. Photographs chronicling the experiences of former VISTAs in the 1960s will be on display in the Russell Senate Office Building Rotunda May 10 through 14.

Major League Baseball teams are also getting in the game to support AmeriCorps Week, including the Texas Rangers, Cleveland, Indians, and Washington Nationals.

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.