Neighbors helping neighbors: AmeriCorps celebrates its 20th
AmeriCorps celebrates 20 years of national service. Created in 1993 by President Clinton and supported by every president since, AmeriCorps has attracted 900,000 members who have provided more than 1.2 billion hours of service to communities across the country. At LISC, 2,400 people have served in AmeriCorps in 36 states, helping to build new affordable housing, provide homeownership counseling, teach after-school programs, and work with people to find jobs. Communities and neighbors are better off when we help each other, and LISC is proud to be part of AmeriCorps.
The excerpt below is from:
"I Will Get Things Done for America: Celebrating 20 Years of AmeriCorps"
By Voices for National Service with a foreword by Chelsea Clinton
I Will Get Things Done for America: Celebrating 20 Years of AmeriCorps
Twenty years ago, 20,000 Americans raised their right hand and pledged to “get things done for America.” They were the first class of AmeriCorps members—a dedicated cadre of diverse Americans from communities all across the country. In the months that followed, they poured their hearts and souls into helping those who needed them in more than 1,000 communities nationwide.
Since then, more than 880,000 talented and dedicated Americans have followed in their footsteps. Over the past 20 years, more than 900,000 AmeriCorps members have provided over 1.2 billion hours of results-driven service across all 50 states. AmeriCorps members tutor and mentor students, help people to lead healthier lives, provide job training and other services to returning veterans, preserve the nation’s parks and public lands, and help communities to rebuild after natural disasters.
Created by President Bill Clinton in 1993, AmeriCorps is a national service program that harnesses the energy and ingenuity of citizens to improve communities and helps those who serve to earn money for college or to pay back student loans. Built on the ideal that all Americans have a role to play in strengthening the nation, AmeriCorps leverages a modest federal investment to secure matching support from private, philanthropic, and local sources. Continued[+]...
