Bipartisan Group of National Service Champions to be Honored

For Immediate Release
Contact: Ranit Schmelzer, 202-538-1065, ranit@schmelzerstrategies.com

Bipartisan Group of National Service Champions to be Honored

 Senators Coons, Isakson, Murkowski and Reed, Representatives Scott and Courtney, and Governor Chris Sununu and First Lady Valerie Sununu among honorees

 Cindy McCain to Present the Inaugural John S. McCain Service to Country Award

Washington, DC (February 7, 2019) – Voices for National Service will honor 23 distinguished leaders in government, business, and journalism at the 16th Annual Friends of National Service Awards on February 12, 2019 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.

“In a culture and political environment where rancor is currency, these honorees have worked tirelessly to build consensus around the proposition that national service makes strong citizens and stronger communities,” said AnnMaura Connolly, President, Voices for National Service. “It’s because of their determination and commitment, even in the face of daunting political odds, that more Americans than ever have been given the opportunity to serve a grateful homeland in ways both great and small.”

“We’re particularly honored that Cindy McCain will present the inaugural John S. McCain Service to Country Award to Senator Johnny Isakson for his leadership in preserving and expanding service opportunities here and abroad, most recently his efforts to eliminate the tax on the post-service education scholarship for AmeriCorps members,” Connolly added.

The 2019 awards and honorees:

  • 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: Senator Chris Coons (DE) 
  • John S. McCain 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 Johnny Isakson (GA) 
  • Citizen Service Award, for investing in the civic health of our nation through support of national service: Mark Donovan, President, Kansas City Chiefs 
  • Distinguished Service Award, for exemplary efforts to expand high-quality opportunities for citizens to serve their community and our country: Senator John Boozman (AR), Senator Jack Reed (RI), Representative Bobby Scott (VA) and Representative Scott Perry (PA) 
  • Congressional Service Award, for remarkable commitment to national service as a strategy to solve local and national issues: Senator Susan Collins (ME), Senator Roger Wicker (MS) and Representative Joe Courtney (CT) 
  • National Service Champion Award, for steadfast leadership in promoting the expansion of opportunities for citizens to serve, and unwavering support for building a stronger future for national service: Senator Roy Blunt (MO), Senator Bill Cassidy (LA) and Senator Patty Murray (WA) 
  • State Leadership Award, for leadership and innovation in leveraging national service to meet state needs: Governor Chris Sununu and First Lady Valerie Sununu (NH) 
  • 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 Lisa Murkowski (AK) 
  • Outstanding New Member Award, for first-term members of Congress who have worked to elevate national service as a legislative priority: Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (NV) and Senator Todd Young (IN) 
  • Local Leadership Award, for leadership and innovation in leveraging national service to meet local needs: Mayor Byron Brown (Buffalo, NY), Mayor Mike Dodson (Manhattan, KS) and Mayor Jim Kenney (Philadelphia, PA) 
  • Corporate Service Award, for investing in the civic health of our nation through support of national service: Tulsa Regional Chamber 
  • Service in Media Award, for using journalism to raise awareness of and encourage Americans’ participation in national service: Rochelle Riley, The Detroit Free Press and The Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA)

Details

16th Annual Friends of National Service Awards

Tuesday, February 12, 2019 from 6:30 – 8:30pm (pre-reception 5:30 – 6:30pm)

Hyatt Regency, 400 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC

Media RSVP: Ranit Schmelzer, ranit@schmelzerstrategies.com

Background

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.

The 16th Annual Friends of National Service Awards is sponsored by Comcast NBCUniversal, CSX, The Corps Network and Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

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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.

 

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