WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Senate Co-Chairs of the National Service Congressional Caucus, Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and House of Representatives Co-Chairs Garret Graves (R-LA-06) and Doris Matsui (D-CA-07), today released a resolution in celebration of AmeriCorps Week, which runs March 10-16, 2024. Founded 30 years ago to increase national service opportunities while providing a pathway to education, AmeriCorps members come from all backgrounds and walks of life to engage in meaningful service for others.
“AmeriCorps members dedicate their lives to those who need a helping hand. From empowering students in the classroom to supporting veterans transitioning to civilian life, they help build stronger communities,” said Dr. Cassidy. “This resolution ensures their service does not go unnoticed.”
“Over the past three decades, more than 1 million AmeriCorps members have rolled up their sleeves and gotten things done for our nation,” said Senator Coons. “This week, we celebrate their work to mentor students, tackle food insecurity, improve public health, respond to disasters, protect the environment, and support local communities across our country. As Co-Chair of the National Service Caucus, I applaud the more than 200,000 current AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers who rise each day to make America a better place and encourage all those contemplating national service to consider AmeriCorps as a way to make meaningful change.”
“For the last 30 years, we’ve seen time and time again that national service unites us and builds shared purpose in our communities,” said Michael D. Smith, CEO of AmeriCorps. “As our country celebrates the lasting impact of generations of AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers during AmeriCorps Week, I am especially grateful for the bipartisan leaders of the National Service Congressional Caucus who make their service possible. Thank you to Senator Coons and Senator Cassidy, and Representative Matsui and Representative Graves, for their efforts to make national service an indispensable part of the American experience while reducing barriers to serve. The Biden-Harris administration believes in the transformative power of service to tackle pressing challenges while inspiring unity.”
“As we celebrate AmeriCorps Week this year, we also celebrate AmeriCorps’ 30th anniversary – three decades of tens of thousands of young people responding to the country’s most immediate and critical needs and supporting local nonprofit, faith-based, and community organizations,” said AnnMaura Connolly, President of Voices for National Service. “As always, we’re deeply grateful to Senators Chris Coons, Bill Cassidy, Shelley Moore Capito, and Martin Heinrich and Representatives Doris Matsui and Garret Graves for their leadership of the National Service Congressional Caucus. We are especially thankful for their commitment to AmeriCorps, a commonsense solution we can all agree should be expanded and strengthened.”
“The National Service Caucus serves as a vital bipartisan voice helping to educate Congress on the importance of national service and its ability to address key needs while bringing communities together,” said Kaira Esgate, CEO of America’s Service Commissions. “On behalf of state and territorial service commissions, we applaud Senators Coons, Cassidy, Heinrich, and Capito, and Representatives Graves and Matsui, for their efforts in growing the bipartisan support and reach of the caucus. We look forward to continuing to work with the caucus on ensuring AmeriCorps and our states and territories have adequate resources to support opportunities to serve in AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors on projects that develop new workforce pathways, aid veterans and their families, recover from natural disasters and build climate resilience, and help students overcome learning loss and make educational gains.”
AmeriCorps by the numbers, nationally:
- 200,000 members and volunteers in more than 2,000 organizations dedicated to strengthening their communities in 2024.
- 245,000 veterans and military families connected to education opportunities, jobs, and benefits they have earned annually.
- 310,000 elderly Americans provided with independent living services annually.
- $4.5 billion earned in education awards since 1994.
AmeriCorps by the numbers in Louisiana:
- 3,580 members and volunteers.
- 454 service locations, including schools, food banks, homeless shelters, health clinics, youth centers, veterans’ facilities, and other nonprofit and faith-based organizations.
- $22.2 million total investment, including the generation of $5.9 million in outside resources from businesses, foundations, public agencies, and other sources in Louisiana.
- Since 1994, more than 19,000 Louisiana residents have served approximately 24 million hours and earned education awards totaling more than $56.3 million.
- Since 1994, higher education institutions and other organizations in Louisiana have received more than $25.2 million in education award payments.
###