For Immediate Release
Contact: Ranit Schmelzer, 202-538-1065, ranit@schmelzerstrategies.com
Bipartisan Group of National Service Champions to be Honored
Senators Blunt, Cassidy, Coons, McCain and Murray, Representatives Matsui, Long and Jayapal, Governors Barbour and Inslee, and Anchorage Mayor Berkowitz among honorees
New Business Council includes Bank of America, Comcast NBCUniversal, CSX Corporation, PepsiCo, Target, AT&T and Timberland
Washington, DC (February 2, 2018) – Voices for National Service will honor 20 distinguished leaders in government, business, and journalism at the 15th Annual Friends of National Service Awards on February 13, 2018 at Union Station in Washington, DC.
The honorees were selected based on recognition and support for national service as a solution to some of the nation’s most pressing challenges. Each award winner has helped to raise public awareness of national service and elevate service as a national priority.
“These honorees are extraordinary leaders from across the country who understand the unique value of national service as an efficient strategy for engaging citizens, preparing young adults for work, solving problems, and strengthening and uniting our nation,” said AnnMaura Connolly, President, Voices for National Service. “Their commitment to national service, and their leadership in advancing it, directly benefits communities large and small. We’re tremendously grateful for their continued efforts to help expand service opportunities in America.”
“Voices for National Service is also thrilled to announce the launch of our Business Council which recognizes the essential role that the private sector plays in supporting national service, building strong bipartisan support for AmeriCorps and Senior Corps, expanding service opportunities for all Americans, and ensuring a robust federal investment in the Corporation for National and Community Service.”
Founding members of the Business Council include Bank of America, Comcast NBCUniversal, CSX Corporation, PepsiCo, Target, AT&T, and Timberland.
The 2018 awards and honorees include:
- Distinguished Service Award, for exemplary efforts to expand high-quality opportunities for citizens to serve their community and our country: Senator Bill Cassidy (LA) and Senator Chris Coons (DE)
- Edward M. Kennedy National Service Lifetime Leadership Award, for life-long dedication to citizen service and for outstanding leadership in advancing national service as a civic commitment and legislative priority: Representative Doris Matsui (CA)
- Service to Country Award, for life-long devotion to country through citizen and public service and for exceptional leadership in advancing national service to solve community problems: Senator John McCain (AZ)
- Congressional Service Award, for remarkable commitment to national service as a strategy to solve local and national issues: Senator Roy Blunt (MO), Senator Patty Murray (WA), Representative Susan Brooks (IN), and Representative Billy Long (MO).
- State Leadership Award, for leadership and innovation in leveraging national service to meet state needs: Governor Jay Inslee (WA) and Lt. Governor William Nungesser (LA)
- Franklin D. Roosevelt Service and Conservation Corps Leadership Award, for championing the important role of service and conservation corps in modern day America, reflective of the legendary ideals and work accomplished by Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Depression Era Civilian Conservation Corps: Senator Lamar Alexander (TN)
- Outstanding New Member Award, for elevating national service as a first term legislative priority: Senator John Kennedy (LA) and Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA)
- Local Leadership Award, for leadership and innovation in leveraging national service to meet local needs: Mayor Ethan Berkowitz (Anchorage, AK) and Mayor Sam Liccardo (San Jose, CA)
- Service in Media Award, for using journalism to raise awareness of and encourage participation in national service: The Joplin Globe and Tulsa World
- Citizen Service Award, for investing in the civic health of our nation through support of national service: Governor Haley Barbour and Michael and Susan Dell
In communities across the country, national service members of all ages and backgrounds provide critical services to fulfill unmet needs. National service members tutor and mentor struggling students, help Americans lead healthier lives, provide job training and other services to returning veterans, preserve the nation’s parks and public lands, offer disaster relief and recovery assistance after natural disasters and support independent living for seniors and Americans with disabilities. For every federal dollar invested in national service, there are returns to society of nearly four dollars in terms of higher earnings, increased output and other community-wide benefits.
Congress created the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency that oversees national service programs such as AmeriCorps and Senior Corps, to be a public-private partnership that invests limited federal dollars to leverage substantial private investment to improve lives and communities. In 2015, CNCS and its grantees generated $1.26 billion in outside resources from private businesses, foundations, and other sources, an amount exceeding the federal appropriation. Furthermore, a recent survey of AmeriCorps alumni found that eight out of 10 alumni say AmeriCorps benefited and advanced their career path, and that AmeriCorps alumni are more likely to attain a bachelor’s degree or higher than the average American adult.
“Now more than ever, we must come together as a country and find ways to help Americans realize their full potential. National service can help us achieve that goal,” Connolly said.
Details
15th Annual Friends of National Service Awards
Tuesday, February 13, 2017 from 6:30 – 8:30pm
East Hall at Union Station, 50 Massachusetts Avenue, NE, Washington, DC
The 15th Annual Friends of National Service Awards is sponsored by Comcast NBCUniversal, CSX, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and The Corps Network.
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Voices for National Service is a diverse coalition of national service programs, state service commissions and individual champions, who work to ensure Americans of all ages and backgrounds have the opportunity to serve and volunteer in their community. Founded in 2003, Voices for National Service has built strong bipartisan support among our nation’s leaders and helped to elevate national service as a powerful strategy for tackling unmet needs, preparing young people for work, uniting our country and developing civic character.