September 11 Tribute Reminds Us of Endless Ways to Serve

Idealist’s Joanna Eng — who usually blogs at the Idealist in NYC blog — graciously attended last Friday’s September 11th event and permitted me to cross-post her account of the event.

Photo from Be the Change Inc's Flickr Feed

Last Friday, a rainy and significant day, I was in attendance as 26 speakers and entertainers—including Hillary Clinton, David Paterson, Caroline Kennedy, Gavin DeGraw, and the Roots—came to the Beacon Theater on Friday evening to commemorate the newly-deemed September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance. The audience was mostly families of 9/11 victims, as well as many other people involved in service (including a large number of red-jacketed City Year corps members).

Besides being a tribute to 9/11 heroes and their families, the whole event was a reminder of the many ways to serve.

To fit the theme, the night started with a quick and simple “service in your seat” activity: While waiting for the program to begin, audience members inscribed inspiring notes to public elementary school students, who would be receiving donated books from Target.

When the program began, we were reminded of the variety of impromptu acts of service, big and small, that took place on

Government Leaders Mark September 11th with Service

President Obama has declared today as Patriot Day and National Day of Service, and senior administration officials, including Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden, cabinet secretaries, and the heads of the Corporation for National and Community Service and Peace Corps will take part in service projects.

In a proclamation issued yesterday, President Obama remembers the events of September 11th:

Through the twisted steel of the twin towers of the World Trade Center, the scarred walls of the Pentagon, and the smoky wreckage in a field in southwest Pennsylvania, the patriotism and resiliency of the American people

Obama Nominates CNCS Board Chair to Serve as Ambassador to Spain and Andorra

Solomont at Service Nation luncheon in June, photo by Be the Change Inc

The Corporation —which has been lacking a permanent CEO since November—may soon lose its board chair as well.

Alan Solomont, Chair of the board of the Corporation for National and Community Service, was nominated today to serve as the United States Ambassador to Spain and Andorra.

According to a statement today from Acting CEO of the Corporation Nicola Goren:

Alan has provided extraordinary leadership to the Corporation and the larger service movement since his original appointment to the Board by President Clinton in 2000 and his reappointment by President Bush in 2007.  His guidance as Board Chair has been especially helpful during the transition and in our series of early successes in the Obama Administration including the passage of the Recovery Act and Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, the formulation of the FY 2010 budget, the record turnout on the King Day of Service, the launch of United We Serve, and other milestones.

According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, if Solomont leaves the Corporation’s board, the board would have seven vacancies on its 15-member board.

Volunteering Up in America (Slightly)

From VolunteeringinAmerica.gov

A study published by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) yesterday details the latest volunteering trends.

Volunteering in America 2009, the latest version of an annual report that looks at volunteerism in the United States, shows a slight increase in the number of volunteers in 2008. A companion website also called Volunteering in America offers links to summaries of the report and a look at volunteering trends in the 50 states and nearly 200 cities.

Last year, a million more people age 16 and older volunteered (without pay) at organizations than in 2007.  61.8 million people (26.4 percent of the adult population) volunteered 8 billion hours of their time through organizations.  CNCS

NCVS Opening Plenary Monday Night

Michelle Obama speaking at NCVS 09

The launch of the National Conference on Volunteering and Service Monday night brought a huge crowd of people out to hear First Lady Michelle Obama speak, among other familiar faces.

When I arrived, the throngs of people waiting in line to go through security matched the throngs of people already inside the hall, and everyone was waiting for Michelle Obama. Helping the time fly was comic/emcee Wally Collins who made fun of individual audience members between introducing musical acts like Sondre Lerche and the Glide Ensemble. Also in the lead-in to the main event, Shawn Rubin accepted the Eli Segal Award from AmeriCorps Alums, Alan Khazei of Be the Change, Inc., spoke introducing corporate sponsor Shannon Schuyler of PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

The highlight of the night didn’t come at the end, as I would have expected. Michelle Obama took the stage somewhere in the middle of the opening event, and everyone in the crowd cheered and stood if they could. Her words were inspiring of course, but I was more stunned by the simple fact of her presence—the President’s wife chose to spend time with us. She used to run a Public Allies AmeriCorps program—and said to start that she was with her people. What I liked the best about what she said was the reaction she and President Obama received when they each decided to forego lucrative careers for nonprofit jobs—Mrs. Obama at Public Allies and Pres. Obama at various nonprofits like the Developing Communities Project where he was a community organizer. She said, regarding people in our lives who dismiss our career choices: “But what these folks don’t understand is that the story of progress in this nation has always been the story of people who chose — in times of trial and struggle — to serve it.”

Mrs. Obama also announced the launch of the United We Serve summer of service initiative, which will last through Sept. 11th of this year, which will make community service easy to do for anyone, and focus on health care, energy

Maria Eitel Withdraws her Name from CNCS Chief Consideration

Nicola Goren, Acting CEO of the Corporation for National Service will be acting as CEO a little bit longer. She issued this statement today:

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to let you know that we have been notified by the White House that due to a previously unknown health condition, Maria Eitel has withdrawn her name from consideration as the CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Our thoughts are with Maria as she focuses on her personal health. On behalf of the Corporation Board and myself, I want to thank you for your continued hard work during these busy times. Finding leadership for the Corporation continues to be a high priority for the White House and I’m confident they will work hard to name someone else soon.

In service,

Nicola Goren
Acting CEO
Corporation for National and Community Service

Maria Eitel was nominated April 21, the same day the Serve America Act was signed in to law. Read more about the withdrawal in the Chronicle of Philanthropy. Also check out this analysis in Youth Today.

National Service in the Stimulus Package

Friday, Nicola Goren of the Corporation for National and Community Service issued the following statement with details if what national service funding was slated for a vote Friday night in the final version of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Dear Colleagues,

As we head into the President’s Day weekend, we wanted to give you a quick update on Congressional action on H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

This afternoon, the House approved the Conference Report on H.R. 1, and the Senate is planning to vote tonight. If the Senate approves the measure, it goes to President Obama for his signature.

The Conference Report contains $201 million for the Corporation for National and Community Service and its programs, with top line numbers as follows:

• $89 million for AmeriCorps State and National
• $65 million for AmeriCorps VISTA
• $40 million for the National Service Trust
• $6 million for information technology upgrades
• $1 million for the Inspector General

The bill contains additional legislative language addressing the proposed use of these funds. You can read the bill language and joint explanatory statement of the managers by visiting the budget page of the Corporation’s website at http://www.nationalservice.gov.

We will be analyzing the legislation and OMB government-wide directions, and seeking public input, as we develop an operating plan for the use of these funds.

We will keep you posted on further developments.

In Service,

Nicola Goren
Acting CEO
Corporation for National and Community Service

Details of National Service Funding in the Senate’s Stimulus

Yesterday the Senate passed its version of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009; here are the details of funding for national service as detailed in their version.

Nicola Goren, Acting CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, issued this update:

Dear Colleagues,

This afternoon the full Senate passed the American Recovery and
Investment Act by a 61 to 37 vote.  The Senate bill contains $201
million for the Corporation and its programs, broken down as follows:

$160 million for operating expenses, including:

• Up to $65 million for AmeriCorps State and National grants
• Not less than $65 million for AmeriCorps VISTA
• Not less than $13 million for research related to volunteer service
• $10 million for AmeriCorps NCCC
• Not less than $6 million for upgrades to information technology
• $1 million for State Commissions
• $40 million for the National Service Trust
• Requires submission of an operating plan prior to making any obligations.

The bill also includes $1 million for the Inspector General.  These provisions are the same as the original Senate bill, with the addition of Inspector General funding.  …Read the text of the legislation, click here or visit the Corporation’s budget page.

The next step is for members of the House and Senate to meet in a
conference committee to work out differences between the measures, with
the aim of trying to complete work before President’s Day.  We will keep
you posted on further developments.

In Service,

Nicola Goren
Acting CEO
Corporation for National and Community Service

Read more about the version of the bill that passed the House of Representatives on January 29th.

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Update: National Service Funding in the Stimulus Package

2/11/09: Check out this post about the Senate compromise version of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

1/29/09: The Acting CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) offers a legislative update.

But Steve Waldman takes issue with the details of the package.

Nicola Goren, the Acting CEO of CNCS, summarized details of the stimulus package — the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 — that passed in the House yesterday; and the version that is up for a vote in the Senate.

Regarding the House of Representatives, according to Goren:

Earlier tonight, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1, their version of the bill, by a vote of 244-188. The legislation includes $200 million for the Corporation for National and Community Service. According to the House Committee Report, $160 million is provided for AmeriCorps State and National to expand “existing AmeriCorps grants” and $40 million is for the National Service Trust. The committee report cites the challenges facing the nonprofit sector and notes that “nonprofit organizations are also experiencing an increased number of applications for service opportunities and increased demand for services for vulnerable populations to meet critical needs” and suggests the funding would engage an estimated 16,000 more AmeriCorps members.

The bill contains additional legislative language addressing the proposed use of these funds. To read the bill language or committee report, visit the Library of Congress’s Thomas website at http://thomas.loc.gov/ and click on HR1: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 . You can also get the report, the committee-passed version of the bill, and other information from the House Appropriations Committee website at http://appropriations.house.gov/.

And regarding the progress of the Senate’s version of the same bill:

Yesterday, the full Senate Appropriations Committee approved S. 336, its version of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. According to the committee report, the bill contains $200 million for the Corporation and its programs, broken down as follows:

• $160 million for AmeriCorps, of which:
  • $65 million for AmeriCorps State and National grants
  • $65 million for AmeriCorps VISTA
  • $13 million for research related to volunteer service
  • $10 million for AmeriCorps NCCC
  • $6 million for upgrades to information technology
  • $1 million for State Commissions
• $40 million for the National Service Trust

Additional language concerning the intended use of these funds is contained in the bill text and committee report. Both are available now on the Senate Appropriations Committee website at http://appropriations.senate.gov/. To view the bill text, click on Text of S336, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan. For the committee report, click on American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan Report.

The next step is for the full Senate to take up the legislation, which is expected to occur next week. Following Senate passage, the House and Senate will meet in a conference to work out differences between the measures. We will keep you posted on further developments.

To read about other potential funding for national service this year, check out the Serve America Act, and this New York Times editorial advocating for its passage.

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Goren Seeks Input from National Service Community

The Acting C.E.O. of the Corporation for National and Community Service sympathizes with organizations struggling to meet increased demands for service while watching their funding bases decrease. She asks for your help in identifying options for “relief.”

Today, Nicola Goren issued this statement:

Dear Colleagues,

Nicola Goren

During this holiday season, citizens across America are feeling the harmful effects of the nation’s economic crisis. While demand for social services is increasing, we know that many nonprofits and national service programs on the front lines of providing help are facing reductions in government and private sector funding.

At the Corporation, we are keenly aware of the seriousness of this situation and are looking for ways to help. I have asked our staff to review administrative, matching, and other requirements to see where we may be able to provide flexibility. We are also exploring possible legislative options that could provide relief.

To ensure we have identified all of the possibilities, we also want to hear from you. This week, our Program Directors will follow up with information about how you can share your input. We want to know what you are experiencing, where the greatest problems are, and any ideas you have for relief.

The programs you support are essential to tackling the challenges Americans are facing in this period of economic uncertainty. We look forward to hearing your ideas and supporting your vital work.

Sincerely,

Nicola Goren
Acting Chief Executive Officer
Corporation for National and Community Service

Read Harris Wofford and Stephen Goldsmith’s comments on the increased need for national service during the economic downturn.

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