House Appropriators Recommend $1.305B for CNCS
LHHS mark is $155 million above FY10 enacted, but $111 million below President's request

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On July 15, the House Labor-Health and Human Services-Education Appropriations Subcommittee approved a draft spending bill for FY 2011 that includes $1.305 billion for the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). While this is a critical $155 million (13.5%) increase, the allocation falls short of the President's requested level by $111 million.

At this time, the committee has only released a bill summary. Detailed information with funding allocations by program is not yet available.

• TAKE ACTION!  As our nation continues on a path towards economic recovery, national service is a strategy for helping address staggering societal needs.  Voices for National Service is grateful that national service remains a high priority for President Obama and his Administration, and we urge you to reach out to Congress in support of his FY11 budget request of $1.42 billion, the largest in the agency’s history.  This requested 23% increase over FY10 levels is necessary to realize the full promise of the Serve America Act and sustain the renewed spirit of service in our country. 
  
  Click here to find out more about reaching out to Members of Congress.

• Click here for more information about the House LHHS recommendation and the President’s original request.

Service Community Celebrates Serve America Act
Events, Presidential Proclamation, Congressional Resolutions recognize impact of service and volunteerism across America

April 21, 2010 marked the one-year anniversary of the signing of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, the largest expansion of service and social innovation since the New Deal. Voices for National Service partnered with ServiceNation and America Forward to host a luncheon and breakout sessions to celebrate the act and its co-author, Senator Kennedy. The event was also an opportunity to discuss the movement’s next steps, as we continue working to fulfill the immense promise of the Serve America Act.

Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), who authored the Serve America Act with Senator Kennedy, delivered taped remarks to the audience. Speakers in attendance included Victoria Reggie Kennedy, Patrick Corvington of the Corporation for National and Community Service, Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Melody Barnes of The White House Domestic Policy Council Cokie Roberts of ABC News, and John Podesta of the Center for American Progress.

• Click here to read Patrick Corvington’s keynote address at the luncheon.

• Click here for more information about the Leadership Luncheon and Solution Sessions, including a full list of speakers.

On the first anniversary of the Serve America Act, the House of Representatives passed H. Res. 1276, "Recognizing the continued importance of volunteerism and national service and the anniversary of the signing of the landmark service legislation, the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act." Introduced by Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the resolution had 30 co-sponsors and passed by a voice vote.

• Click here for more information, including text of the resolution and floor remarks made by representatives in support of H. Res. 1276.

President Obama issued a proclamation to officially mark National Volunteer Week, April 18-24, 2010. In the Presidential Proclamation, President Obama reiterates his Administration's commitment to "ushering in a new era of service and responsibility":

Whether through the workplace or a house of worship, in our own neighborhoods or in another state or country, service binds us together as Americans in a way nothing else can. It defines us as a people, and it is essential to achieving our national priorities. Together, let us answer the call, take hold of our shared future, and meet the challenges of our new century.... I call upon all Americans to observe this week by volunteering in service projects across our country and pledging to make service a part of their daily lives.

• Click here to read the Presidential Proclamation declaring National Volunteer Week 2010.

Patrick Corvington Confirmed to Lead CNCS
Senate and President Approve Corvington to Oversee Historic Growth of Service

On February 12, President Obama appointed Patrick Corvington as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), one day after the Senate confirmed Mr. Corvington by unanimous consent.  The President initially nominated Mr. Corvington in October 2009.

• Click here for a CNCS press release on Patrick Corvington’s confirmation.

• Click here for a message from Steven Goldsmith, Chairman of the Board of Directors at CNCS, on the transition of leadership at the agency.

• Click on the following links to read about Mr. Corvington’s confirmation in The NonProfit Times and The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

• Patrick Corvington was interviewed by Suzanne Perry of The Chronicle of Philanthropy in April 2010. To read her article, click here.

Voices for National Service applauds the Senate's unanimous approval of Patrick Corvington to become the next CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. Mr. Corvington's expertise in nonprofit leadership and capacity-building, evaluation and performance measurement, and systems reform will be helpful to a field poised for major growth with high expectations for results. His extensive background in the nonprofit community will bring many new partners to national service and expand service and innovation as solutions to community needs.

The national service field greatly looks forward to working with Patrick Corvington to implement the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act and grow support for service as a resource to face our country's pressing challenges now and in the future.

• Click here to read a statement from Voices for National Service on President Obama’s nomination of Patrick Corvington in October 2009.

On November 16, 2009, the Center for American Progress released “National Service and Youth Unemployment: Strategies for Job Creation Amid Economic Recovery,” a collaboration by Melissa Boteach, Joy Moses, and Shirley Sagawa.  The memo details youth unemployment in the current economic climate and describes how national service can contribute to reducing these numbers as well as play a part in creating jobs.

• Click here to read “National Service and Youth Unemployment” from the Center for American Progress.

• Click here to read an opinion piece by John Podesta, president of the Center for American Progress and former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton, on the role for national service in helping our national recover.

• In February 2010, the Center for American Progress released “How Quickly Can Service Grow?” by Shirley Sagawa, calling for an accelerated expansion of national service to “create jobs, address pressing community problems, and reconnect youth who are neither employed nor in school with a pathway to opportunity.”  Click here to read “How Quickly Can Service Grow?”

Senator Edward M. Kennedy, 1932-2009
Statement on a Life of Service

Our country and our world have lost a giant today.  Senator Edward M. Kennedy's extraordinary life touched us all in so many important ways. As a Senator, his incomparable commitment to service and justice led to some of the most sweeping legislation of our time.  His was a life of service; he was the voice of the voiceless and never forgot the daily struggles of ordinary Americans. His humanity and his idealism were at the heart of everything he did, and he was a tremendous champion for the national service movement. In April, President Obama signed into law the largest expansion of national service since the New Deal, the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, which was appropriately named for Senator Kennedy at the recommendation of his friend and colleague, Senator Orrin Hatch.  We are deeply grateful for Senator Kennedy's leadership, his vision for a more just world and his belief in the power of the human spirit. Our hearts are with his family and friends today.  We will miss him.
		Photos by M. T. Harmon, Office of Public Affairs, Corporation for National and Community Service; and Office of Senator Edward M. Kennedy (via kennedy.senate.gov)

		On April 21, 2009, President Obama signed into law the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, which will dramatically expand national service opportunities to address America's most pressing challenges. At the signing ceremony, the President drew significant attention to one of the bill's architects, Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA), highlighting the long-standing commitment by the senator and his family to service and the country.

• Click here to read President Obama's complete statement from the bill signing ceremony.

• Click here to read more on the bill signing from the White House.

• Click here for a detailed summary of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act and the bill language provided by the Corporation for National and Community Service.

• Click here to read news coverage of the bill signing.

• Click here for a statement from Voices for National Service on the passage of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act.

While the bill authorizes a massive expansion of national service programs for Americans of all ages, implementation is tied to the availability of funds.  The President is expected to release a detailed budget for Fiscal Year 2010 next month, and Congress will consider the President's request as they make discretionary spending decisions and consider the twelve annual appropriations bills.

Voices for National Service will remain engaged in the appropriations process and will provide updates as they become available.

Millions watched this week as President Obama spoke to a Joint Session of Congress and clearly stated his vision for the role National Service should play in facing the critical challenges our country faces.

		“To encourage a renewed spirit of national service for this and future generations,” President Obama asked Congress to send him the Serve America Act, “the bipartisan legislation that bears the name of Senator Orrin Hatch as well as an American who has never stopped asking what he can do for his country – Senator Edward Kennedy.”

The Serve America Act builds on service as a strategy to meet specific national challenges such as addressing the dropout crisis and strengthening our schools; improving energy efficiency; safeguarding the environment; improving health care and expanding economic opportunity in low-income communities; and preparing for and responding to disasters and emergencies.

• Click here to read the full transcript

• Click here for other National Service news

		Recording Artist Usher joined other distinguished witnesses to testify before the House Committee on Education and Labor at a hearing examining how to renew America through national service and volunteerism on February 25, 2009.   It was the first full committee education hearing held in the 111th Congress. The hearing investigated the role of service in meeting critical community needs, reinvigorating civic engagement across all levels of society, expanding opportunities for young people to participate in service, and how national and community service can help “green” America.

Click on the witnesses listed below to read their testimony:

• Rep. George Miller (D-CA) Opening Statement

• Usher Raymond IV, Recording Artist and Chairman Usher's New Look Foundation

• James Harris, Youth Participant Usher's New Look Foundation

• Richard Stengel, Managing Editor TIME Magazine

• Van Jones, Founder and President Green for All

• Cheryl L. Dorsey, President Echoing Green

• The Honorable Harris Wofford, former US Senator (D-PA)

• Sgt. Major of the Army Kenneth O. Preston, United States Army

• David L. Caprara, Director and Nonresident Fellow Brookings Initiative on International Volunteering and Service

• Lisa Hamilton, President UPS Foundation