Welcome to the Serve.gov Newsroom.  In the newsroom, you will find press releases and announcements related to community service and volunteering in the United States.

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Articles 1-62

7/22/2010

Inaugural Social Innovation Fund Grants Awarded to Experienced Innovators In response to the increasing health needs, economic challenges and gaps in youth achievement facing low-income rural and urban communities, the Corporation for National and Community Service announced its inaugural Social Innovation Fund (SIF) grants today. The grants will target millions in public and private funds to grow effective solutions to persistent social challenges across more than 20 states.

6/30/2010

Gulf Coast’s New Orleans to Host World’s Largest Conference on Volunteering and Service in 2011 The world’s largest gathering of service and volunteer leaders will hold its 2011 conference in New Orleans, organizers announced today. With the Gulf Coast reeling from its second disaster-driven economic blow in five years, Patrick Corvington, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, and Michelle Nunn, CEO of Points of Light Institute and Co-Founder of the HandsOn Network, declared that the region’s largest city was not just the natural choice to host the 2011 gathering—it was the only choice.

6/30/2010

Secretary Duncan to Deliver Keynote Speech on the Role of Service in Remaking American Education U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will deliver the keynote speech and participate in a panel discussion, “The Role of Service in Remaking American Education,” on Wednesday, June 30 in New York City.

6/29/2010

National Service Agency CEO Keynote at Conference Town Hall Patrick A. Corvington, CEO, Corporation for National and Community Service 2010 National Conference Town Hall Keynote, New York City, June 29, 2010.

6/29/2010

National Service Agency Announces BP Oil Spill Response Plan Today the Corporation for National and Community Service announced its strategy to engage national service and voluntary assets in responding to the economic and environmental damage caused by the BP oil spill.

6/28/2010

National Conference Ignites Momentum for Service at Opening Session in New York City MSNBC’s Morning Joe team Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski kicked off the “It’s Up to YOU” opening plenary session of the 2010 National Conference on Volunteering and Service today at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, mobilizing a record attendance of more than 5,000 people at the world’s largest gathering of service and volunteer leaders.

6/28/2010

Corporate Pro-Bono Volunteering Campaign Tops $500 Million As a national gathering of volunteer leaders got underway in New York City on June 28, 2010, Corporation for National and Community Service CEO Patrick Corvington announced more than $110 million in new corporate pro bono commitments to help nonprofits achieve greater scale, sustainability, and impact in meeting community needs.

6/28/2010

Outstanding Volunteers Honored at National Service Conference The Corporation for National and Community Service will present three outstanding volunteers with the “Spirit of Service Award” at its National Conference on Volunteering and Service today. The awards are given annually to individuals representing each of the Corporation’s three national service programs – AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and Learn and Serve America – who have performed exemplary service in their communities.

6/15/2010

New Federal Report Shows Greatest Spike in Volunteers Since 2003 Despite difficult economic times, the number of Americans volunteering in their communities jumped by 1.6 million last year, the largest increase in six years, according to a report released today by the Corporation for National and Community Service.

6/8/2010

First Lady, Federal Agencies Launch Summer Initiative to Curb Childhood Obesity and Reading Loss Washington, DC—First Lady Michelle Obama and four Cabinet Secretaries, joined Patrick Corvington, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service to launch United We Serve: Let’s Read. Let’s Move. today. The new initiative will get more Americans volunteering to combat childhood obesity and summer learning loss among youth.

6/7/2010

National Service Agency Announces 2010 AmeriCorps Grants More than 325 organizations across the country will get a major boost in their efforts to address education, health, poverty, and other pressing social issues thanks to $234 million in federal AmeriCorps grants announced today by the Corporation for National and Community Service.

6/7/2010

First Lady, Federal Agencies to Announce Administration-wide Summer Initiative to Target Youth U.S. Secretary Arne Duncan will join Patrick Corvington, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service to launch the United We Serve: Let’s Read. Let’s Move. summer initiative on a conference call on Tuesday, June 8 at 10 a.m..

5/27/2010

Social Innovation Fund Announcement: Remarks by Patrick Corvington Good afternoon, and thank you all for coming. Thank you, Melody, for those kind words. Working with you, Melody, is a distinct pleasure and a real honor. Thank you for all the work you do to weave service more deeply into the fabric of our nation.

5/27/2010

First Lady Announces Foundation Commitments to Invest in Innovative Community Solutions Today, First Lady Michelle Obama and Corporation for National and Community Service CEO Patrick Corvington announced the initial phase of philanthropic commitments totaling $50 million to match Social Innovation Fund (SIF) grants and to invest in other innovative community solutions. This also includes an independent consortium of more than 20 national and regional funders led by Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO) who have come together to create the “Scaling What Works” initiative, which will provide complementary funding for key initiatives to build the infrastructure needed for the long-term success of the SIF.

5/21/2010

AmeriCorps Week 2010 - We Got it Done! The fourth annual AmeriCorps Week was a major success! Thanks to all the AmeriCorps members, alums, staff, partners, and friends who joined in us in shining the spotlight on the extraordinary service and accomplishments of AmeriCorps and in helping recruit more Americans into service.

5/20/2010

National Service Agency Awards $650,000 To Indian Tribes’ Service-Learning Programs School-aged youth will be able to participate in service-learning projects offered by five Indian Tribes through grants awarded by Learn and Serve America, the Corporation for National and Community Service announced today. The five grants total $650,070.

5/13/2010

National Service Agency CEO: VISTAs Needed Now More Than Ever More than 200 AmeriCorps VISTA members, alumni and supporters joined Congressional leaders and Patrick Corvington, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, at a Capitol Hill reception to laud VISTA's transformative impact on our nation's most vulnerable communities and those who serve.

5/12/2010

National Service Board Elects Bipartisan Leaders Washington DC – The Board of Directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service has elected Mark Gearan to serve as Chair and Eric Tanenblatt to serve as Vice Chair, continuing a tradition of bipartisanship that has been a hallmark of the board since its creation.

5/11/2010

AmeriCorps on the Front Lines of Disaster Recovery Nearly 150 AmeriCorps members are responding to natural disasters that have wreaked havoc in communities throughout the country – from the floods in Tennessee to the tornado in Mississippi and the oil spill in the Gulf Coast.

5/5/2010

AmeriCorps Week Shines Spotlight On Impact of AmeriCorps Service Thousands of community volunteers will join AmeriCorps members and alumni to host more than 200 service projects, events, receptions, and presentations during the Fourth Annual AmeriCorps Week, May 8-15.

4/21/2010

Keynote Address by Patrick Corvington, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, on the One-Year Anniversary of the Signing of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act Keynote address by Patrick Corvington, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, on the one-year anniversary of the signing of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act.

3/25/2010

National Service Agency Announces Funding to Expand, Retain Volunteers to Tackle National Problems The Corporation for National and Community Service announced $4 million in funding to recruit, manage, and retain more volunteers to meet address pressing social challenges today. The Volunteer Generation Fund, a new program authorized under the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, is designed to expand opportunities for more Americans to serve while enhancing the capacity of nonprofits to have a sustained impact in local communities.

1/14/2010

Disaster in Haiti: How You Can Help Message from Nicola Goren, Acting CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, on the disaster in Haiti and how Americans can help.

11/19/2009

National Service Agency Promotes Funding for Veterans Programs On the heels of Veterans Day, the Corporation for National and Community Service hosted a conference call today to promote funding opportunities to support programs that leverage veterans’ skills and expertise to serve local communities through its Veterans Corps, a program authorized by the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. These funds are part of the $363 million requested in the President’s FY 2010 budget for the AmeriCorps program.

10/17/2009

Successful Kick-off of Learn & Serve Challenge Opens Year of Service for Schools & Communities Nearly 80,000 students, parents and teachers from across 34 states participated in 178 events that marked the close of the week-long launch of the 3rd Annual Learn & Serve Challenge. The Challenge, led by the Corporation for National and Community Service and 100 national organizations, will continue through the remainder of the school year with the goal of engaging 1 million more students in service-learning.

10/16/2009

Remarks by the President at Points of Light 20th Anniversary On October 16, 2009, the President spoke at the 20th Anniversary event for the Points of Light Institute in College Station, Texas.

10/16/2009

President Obama Joins President Bush in Call to Service Calling service an integral part of how we meet the challenges of our time, President Barack Obama renewed his appeal for all Americans to make service a part of their daily lives in an address to 2,000 service leaders gathered at the Points of Light Institute’s (POL) “Presidential Forum on Service” at Texas A& M University here today.

10/5/2009

National Service Agency and Nonprofits Launch Challenge, Urge Student Service in Schools and Communities The Corporation for National and Community Service and more than 100 national service-learning leaders, educators, and community advocates partnered today to kick off the 3rd Annual National Learn & Serve Challenge. The year-long Challenge will place students on the frontlines of efforts to employ innovative solutions to rebuilding and renewing their communities.

9/25/2009

National Service Agency Seeks Peer Reviewers The Corporation for National and Community Service is seeking peer reviewers and facilitators to assist in the review of its competitive grant applications.

9/17/2009

Gobierno del Presidente Obama presenta Servir.gov para difundir su llamado al voluntariado. Para informar a millones de hispanohablantes sobre el llamado a servir que hizo el Presidente Obama, su gobierno ha inaugurado hoy Servir.gov, una página web en español que facilita que los estadounidenses organicen voluntariados en sus comunidades.

9/17/2009

Obama Administration Launches Servir.gov Website to Broaden Call to Service To carry President Obama’s call to service to millions of Spanish-speakers, the Obama Administration today launched Servir.gov, a Spanish-language website that makes it easy for Americans to find or organize volunteer projects in their communities.

9/11/2009

President Joins Volunteers Nationwide in Service to Remember 9/11 President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama joined AmeriCorps members and volunteers in painting a Habitat for Humanity home in Washington DC this afternoon, joining Americans across the country who marked the eighth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks by participating in service and remembrance activities.

9/10/2009

Businesses Take Part in 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance As the nation prepares to observe the first National Day of Service and Remembrance on September 11, businesses large and small are planning volunteer events to help people in need in their communities.

9/10/2009

9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance Projects Taking Place in All 50 States The first officially-designated September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance will be marked by service projects in all 50 states, with tens of thousands of volunteers expected to turn out to paint and refurbish homes, run food drives, spruce up schools, reclaim neighborhoods, and support and honor veterans and first responders.

9/10/2009

MEDIA ADVISORY: Cabinet Secretaries to Participate in September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance On September 11, more than a dozen Cabinet secretaries and senior administration officials will commemorate the heroism of those who lost their lives on September 11th, 2001, and remember their spirit of sacrifice by engaging in service and volunteerism as part of the first officially recognized September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance.

9/10/2009

Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance, 2009 On September 10, 2009, President Barack Obama proclaimed September 11, 2009 as Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance.

9/9/2009

Penguins Take to the Ice for Service To Remember 9/11 Before the 2009 Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins meet with President Obama at the White House on September 10, they will meet with another group, this one on the ice. Several members of the team will visit the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club, the oldest minority youth hockey program in the country, to offer a hockey clinic to the young players. The clinic is a central component of the National Hockey League’s partnership with United We Serve, the initiative established by President Obama to challenge all Americans to engage in sustained, meaningful community service.

9/8/2009

Americans to Remember 9/11 with Acts of Service Americans across the country will honor the victims and heroes of the 9/11 tragedy by serving their neighbors and communities as part of the first-ever federally recognized September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance.

9/1/2009

United We Serve Marks Interfaith Service Week President Obama’s United We Serve initiative has designated Aug. 31 through Sept. 6 Interfaith Service Week to honor the service efforts conducted through faith-based organizations working together across religious lines to strengthen our communities. Over the summer, interfaith volunteers have participated in more than 3,000 projects through the United We Serve effort, with numerous others scheduled this week.

8/29/2009

Volunteers Help Gulf Coast Build Stronger Future On the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, there are strong signs of progress and renewal across the entire Gulf Coast, fueled in large part by an outpouring of volunteers and national service participants who’ve come from across the nation and globe to help the region rebuild stronger than before.

8/27/2009

Federal Employees Volunteer with New Orleans Organizations on Rebuilding Projects Nearly 100 Obama Administration officials and federal employees are volunteering with New Orleans organizations over the next four days to mark the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. The four-day effort was launched today in front of the Rebuilding Together New Orleans Community Center, one of several sites at which volunteers will be working. When it is completed, the center will house AmeriCorps NCCC volunteers serving New Orleans.

8/26/2009

Statement by Alan Solomont on the Passing of Senator Edward M. Kennedy Alan Solomont, Board Chair of the Corporation for National and Community Service, made the following statement on the passing of Senator Edward M. Kennedy:

8/24/2009

American Legion Auxiliary Launches National Service Project Focused On Veterans And Service Members In Poverty The American Legion Auxiliary (ALA) launched today a national service project aimed at building volunteer capacity to alleviate poverty among veterans, military service members, and their families. The ALA announced the initiative, the American Legion Auxiliary Call to Service Corps VISTA Project, at its annual convention in Louisville, Kentucky, and as a component of the ALA’s observance of Safety and Security Week within President Obama’s United We Serve national service initiative.

8/24/2009

United We Serve Marks Safety and Security Week This week President Obama's United We Serve initiative will spotlight the key role that volunteers play in supporting veterans and military families and in helping communities prepare for and recover from disasters as part of Safety and Security Week.

8/10/2009

United We Serve Announces Health Week The United We Serve initiative is highlighting the efforts of Americans who volunteer to promote healthy living and expand access to health services across the nation during Health Week, August 10-16. In conjunction with National Community Health Center Week, United We Serve will focus special attention on grassroots health programs addressing community needs.

8/3/2009

United We Serve Highlights Energy and Environment Week This week President Obama’s United We Serve initiative will spotlight the countless ways that volunteers promote energy efficiency, address climate change, and preserve our natural environment as part of Energy and Environment Week.

7/30/2009

Learn and Serve America Announces $20 Million in Service-Learning Grants The Corporation for National and Community Service today announced 36 Learn and Serve America grants totaling nearly $20 million to engage students across the nation in service-learning projects that promote community service while enhancing students’ academic and civic skills.

7/30/2009

Recovery Act Brings 200 VISTAs to Fight Poverty in New York City Help is on the way for more than 50 organizations fighting poverty in New York City, thanks to Recovery Act funding that is supporting nearly 200 AmeriCorps VISTA members who will engage New Yorkers in volunteer efforts to battle poverty in the nation’s most populous city.

7/29/2009

United We Serve Marks Education Week United We Serve, President Obama’s call to service initiative, is marking July 27-August 2 as Education Week, highlighting the countless Americans who roll up their sleeves to read with a child, volunteer at a library, organize a book drive, and strengthen education and learning in other ways.

7/28/2009

Study Shows One-Third of America’s Volunteers Serve through Religious Organizations Faith-based organizations have a profound impact on volunteering in the United States, according to a report released today by the Corporation for National and Community Service.

7/27/2009

In Tough Times, Volunteering In America Remains Strong A new report released today by the Corporation for National and Community Service finds that even during a time of prolonged economic recession, volunteering has remained steady, fueled by a compassion boom led by young adults and a wave of do-it-yourself volunteers working with their neighbors to fix problems.

7/23/2009

NFL Players Association Joins President Obama in Call to Service The NFL Players Association (NFLPA), which represents every NFL player, is teaming up with the Corporation for National and Community Service, to encourage Americans to answer the President and First Lady’s call to service and make a difference in their communities.

7/20/2009

United We Serve Kicks Off Community Renewal Week Starting today and lasting through the rest of the summer, President Obama’s United We Serve initiative is kicking off a series of issue weeks that will shine the spotlight on Americans who are joining with their neighbors to tackle tough challenges through volunteer service.

7/14/2009

Major League Baseball Goes to Bat for United We Serve Responding to President Obama’s call to service, Major League Baseball is making community service an overriding theme of the 80th All-Star Game and related events taking place in St. Louis this week.

6/25/2009

President Obama and the First Lady Pack 15,000 Backpacks for Children of Our Troops (Video) President Obama speaks at Fort McNair, focusing on the importance of service to our communities and encouraged everyone to do their part this summer as part of United We Serve. The President and First Lady joined Congressional family members and five national nonprofit organizations to pack 15,000 backpacks full of books, healthy snacks, Frisbees and other items for the children of our servicemen and women.

6/25/2009

President, First Lady and Members of Congress Participate in Service Event for Military Children On June 25th, 2009, President Obama and Mrs. Obama joined hundreds of Congressional family members and five national nonprofit organizations in a United We Serve event sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service. The project benefited the children of military families.

6/23/2009

The First Lady Kicks Off United We Serve The First Lady marked the kick off of United We Serve on June 22nd, 2009, where she joined California’s First Lady Maria Shriver to build a playground at Bret Harte Elementary, a public school in San Francisco. The First Lady worked with KaBOOM!, an organization that aims to create safe and fun places for kids to play within walking distance of their homes. They have been building playgrounds in underserved communities for 14 years, relying on volunteers across the country.

6/23/2009

First Lady Michelle Obama Issues Call to Service to Nation’s Volunteer Leaders Speaking to a record-breaking 5,000 attendees, First Lady Michelle Obama called on all Americans to participate in our nation’s renewal and recovery in a keynote address at the opening session of the National Conference on Volunteering and Service at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA.

6/22/2009

First Lady Michelle Obama, Cabinet Members Kick Off United We Serve First Lady Michelle Obama and Cabinet secretaries are fanning out across the country today to participate in community service projects as part of the launch of United We Serve, a national call to service by President Obama.

6/19/2009

First Lady Michelle Obama to Keynote National Conference on Volunteering and Service Highlighting her commitment to community service, First Lady Michelle Obama will give the keynote address at the 2009 National Conference on Volunteering and Service in San Francisco next Monday, June 22.

6/17/2009

President Obama Calls on Americans to Serve President Obama called on all Americans to help in our nation’s recovery by volunteering in their communities this summer in a video message released on June 17, 2009 by the White House and the Corporation for National and Community Service.

6/17/2009

President Obama Unveils ‘United We Serve,’ Calls on All Americans to Commit to Meaningful Volunteer Service in Their Daily Lives On July 17. 2009, in a video message, President Obama unveiled United We Serve, an extended call to service challenging all Americans to help lay a new foundation for growth in this country by engaging in sustained, meaningful community service. The initiative will be led by the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency dedicated to fostering service in communities across the country. Since his Inauguration, the President has called on all Americans to serve their communities and be a part of building a better future for our country.