U.S. Mayors Announce Effort to Recognize AmeriCorps and Senior Corps

 

 

AUSTIN, Texas – Mayors and county executives across the country will participate in a national day of recognition on April 7, 2015, to highlight the impact of AmeriCorps and Senior Corps and thank individuals who serve. The announcement of the third-annual Mayors Day of Recognition for National Service was made today by Mayor Ralph Becker, of Salt Lake City, Utah, incoming President of the National League of Cities. 

 

“Every day, in cities across the country, AmeriCorps and Senior Corps members are making a powerful difference through national service. These dedicated citizens are tackling tough challenges facing our communities – helping kids graduate, fighting poverty, making neighborhoods safer, and much more,” said Mayor Becker. “I believe in the power of national service and encourage mayors and county officials across the country to join in recognizing the positive impact of AmeriCorps and Senior Corps in our cities.” 

 

Mayor Becker was joined for the announcement by Mayor Lee Leffingwell of Austin, Texas; Mayor Nelda Martinez of Corpus Christi, Texas; Mayor Chris Coleman of St. Paul, Minn., current President of the National League of Cities; Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, and more than 100 AmeriCorps and Senior Corps members from the Austin area. The announcement was made to coincide with the National League of Cities annual meeting.  

 

“Mayors are leaders who get things done, responding every day to needs in their cities,” said Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. “I commend Mayor Becker, Mayor Coleman, and other mayors for their outstanding leadership and for joining this important effort to recognize the impact of national service on the critical challenges facing our cities.”

 

Last year, a bipartisan group of 1,760 mayors from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico participated in the second-annual Mayors Day of Recognition for National Service, more than doubling the participation of the first year. These mayors represent more than 110 million people, or one-third of all Americans.   

 

In another sign of bipartisan support for national service from city leaders, the United States Conference of Mayors unanimously passed a resolution supporting national service as a cost-effective solution to the challenges facing America’s cities at their annual meeting in Dallas last June. 

 

 

Mayors Day of Recognition for National Service is designed to spotlight the impact of national service and thank those who serve. Participating mayors will hold public events and use traditional and social media to highlight the value of AmeriCorps and Senior Corps programs. The initiative is led by the Corporation for National and Community Service, the National League of Cities, and Cities of Service.  

 

“Mayors are leading the way in engaging citizens to help solve the most pressing challenges in their own communities,” said Myung Lee, Executive Director of Cities of Service. “We are honored to partner with mayors in cities across the country to do this important work and are thrilled to join the Corporation for National and Community Service and the National League of Cities today to recognize the critical role that national service members play in our efforts."

 

As the federal agency for service and volunteering, CNCS annually engages more than five million citizens in service at 60,000 locations sites in more than 8,500 cities across the country through AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and other programs. 

 

CNCS leverages federal and private funds to support organizations that achieve measurable results where the need is greatest. A significant portion of this investment is focused on cities. Whether supporting food banks and homeless shelters, restoring city parks, building homes, providing health services, tutoring and mentoring students, and managing community volunteers, national service members help mayors tackle tough problems.

 

For more information on the Mayors Day of Recognition for National Service, visit nationalservice.gov/mayorsforservice.