Today, 832 mayors from big cities to small towns and everything in between are participating in the Mayors Day of Recognition for National Service. What a great way to highlight the many ways that AmeriCorps members and Senior Corps volunteers demonstrate the power that every citizen has to make a difference.

Together, these mayors represent nearly 100 million citizens or one-third of Americans.

“It is a testament to the effectiveness of AmeriCorps and Senior Corps programs that nearly one-third of Americans will have their mayor participating in this first-ever Day of Recognition,” said Wendy Spencer, CEO of CNCS. “We're proud to stand with this bipartisan group of mayors. These leaders are shining a bright light on the impact of AmeriCorps members and Senior Corps volunteers as they improve neighborhoods and transform lives across the country.”

The first-ever Mayors Day of Recognition for National Service is being led by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS); Cities of Service; the National League of Cities; and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Mayor Nutter spoke about the Day of Recognition today during an appearance on MSNBC's “Morning Joe.” (Click the photo below to watch Mayor Nutter's appearance on the show.) CNCS is the federal agency for national service and volunteering that administers AmeriCorps and Senior Corps.

Facing Challenges, Finding Solutions

In times of economic and budget challenges, mayors need to enlist all the help they can find to tackle the tough issues that many of them face. By embracing national service, these solutions-focused leaders are showing the innovative thinking necessary to provide much-needed services in difficult circumstances.

Children and youth need all the support they can get to make the most out of their years in the education system. AmeriCorps members and Senior Corps volunteers work in schools during the day and in after-school programs to help children succeed.

When disasters strike, resources may be scattered or uncoordinated and some survivors may feel left behind when their stories fade from the headlines. National service participants respond early to assist with relief efforts and stay for months and years to help affected communities recover.

Many of our citizens face poverty-related issues that make day-to-day survival a challenge while they seek basic needs. National service members have a long history of fighting poverty and helping community strengthen the social net.

Our environment needs involved stewards to ensure that our land is protected for future generations. National service provides services that aids wildfire prevention, cleans blighted areas, and teaches conservation through service-learning efforts.

Health care is widely available in cases of emergency, but there are many underserved communities where everyday access is limited. National service provides access and much-needed information to many through outreach and community health centers.

Our veterans and military families have made many sacrifices during past and current conflicts to protect our freedoms. National service is working to make sure the soldiers return home to open arms and opportunity, and to ensure that families are supported while they are away.

National service gets things done.

“I work with mayors from both sides of the aisle to find practical solutions to the problems we face in our cities,” said Mayor Nutter. “My colleagues and I agree that there are few resources more cost effective than America's national service programs. AmeriCorps members and Senior Corps volunteers are central to the fabric of Philadelphia. Day after day, they roll up their sleeves and get to work addressing education, food insecurity, community revitalization and more. Simply put, in these challenging economic times, their service is essential to the current and future success of our city and our nation.”

Follow today's events and spread the word about the Mayors Day of Recognition for National Service on Twitter by tracking the #mayors4service hashtag.

Next week more than 730 mayors, collectively representing nearly 100 million Americans in all 50 states, will join together to recognize the impact of national service participants in AmeriCorps and Senior Corps programs who are making a difference in their communities.
 

Recognizing the work AmeriCorps and Senior Corps programs perform in communities across the nation, the National League of Cities (NLC) will join more than 275 city leaders to shine a spotlight on their service during the Mayors Day of Recognition for National Service on April 9.
 

The Service News Digest is a regular feature on the Serve.gov blog. In this series, we showcase articles that feature national service and Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) programs. Take a look at some of the great stories that had people talking recently.
 

In his State of the Union address, President Obama vowed to “make high-quality preschool available to every single child in America,” and he traveled to Georgia today to discuss the need for early childhood education. Improving education is a priority at the Corporation for National and Community Service that we support through proven national service efforts that make a difference in the lives of millions of students.
 

The Service News Digest is a regular feature on the Serve.gov blog. In this series, we showcase articles that feature national service and Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) programs. Take a look at some of the great stories that had people talking recently.
 

A new video and photos from the National Day of Service and Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend of Service show the enthusiasm of people around the nation as they used the time to volunteer during the holiday weekend.
 

The Service News Digest is a regular feature on the Serve.gov blog. In this series, we showcase articles that feature national service and Corporation for National and Community Service programs. Take a look at some of the great stories that had people talking recently.
 

This weekend was a major moment for national service, and I want to share some of the many highlights that inspired me.
 

Volunteers packed the D.C. Armory in Washington, DC, on Jan. 19, 2013, to participate in Dr. Martin Luther King Day of Service and National Day of Service activities. Participants assembled 100,000 care kits for Operation Gratitude and wrote letters to U.S. soldiers during the event. Watch this blog for more National Day of Service photos from around the nation.
 

On April 9, mayors across the country will highlight the impact of national service in their cities and thank the individuals who serve during the first-ever Mayors Day of Recognition for National Service. The initiative will be led by U.S. Conference of Mayors President and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), Cities of Service, and other organizations.
 

The Service News Digest is a regular feature on the Serve.gov blog. In this series, we showcase articles that feature national service and Corporation for National and Community Service programs. Take a look at some of the great stories that had people talking recently.
 

Each new year draws millions to make resolutions designed to change their lives. And while the focus on self-improvement is fine, the arrival of National Mentoring Month gives us an opportunity to recognize men and women who channel their energy to helping and inspiring young people toward a brighter future.
 

Working together to strengthen our communities is at the core of our national values. New research indicates that this commitment to service burns brighter than ever.
 

Around the country, December is welcomed as a month of hope and good cheer. It may be a season for the exchanging of gifts, or for the sharing of time and resources with community members in need. For many, it is also a time to gather together with loved ones to reminisce about cherished memories and create new stories that will be shared in the future. Such stories preserve the legacy of a family, the history of a generation, and perhaps most important of all, the story of a nation.
 

We would like to introduce you to Percy Thomas and Dorothy Campbell, two amazing volunteers in our Foster Grandparent Program (FGP) whose service was profiled on Friday’s edition of the NBC Nightly News.
 

AmeriCorps and Senior Corps teams are responding in four Gulf Coast states as Hurricane Isaac moves toward the region.
 

For more than 40 years, RSVP has delivered proven results and engaged millions of Americans 55 and over in national and community service. This Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) program is a win-win for America, as senior volunteer service benefits the health of the adult volunteers and addresses vital needs in the communities they serve. Last week, Senior Corps opened its 2013 RSVP Competition.
 

Recent wildfires have threatened communities across Colorado and the Southwest and national service has been working day and night to help put out the flames and support survivors.
 

John Urbigkit has service in his blood. He has volunteered as an EMT medic, Boy Scout leader and even earned a Purple Heart for his service in the Korean War. But it is his role as a Senior Corps volunteer with the Southeast Wyoming Foster Grandparent Program that earned this community hero a distinguished honor that brought him to Washington, DC.
 

The Coulee Region RSVP in La Crosse, Wisconsin, collaborates with Gundersen Lutheran Health System's environmental stewardship program to mitigate some of the waste that was being sent to the county's landfill and reuse the material to help others in the hospital.
 

For an aging individual coping with the loss of mobility, lack of proper foundations in and around a home can lead to difficulties remaining independent and mobile. This is especially true of our nation's veterans and as a nation, we have a duty to take care of these individuals how have sacrificed so much for our country.
 

At 58, Dyann Brown of Rochester, New York found herself in early retirement after a long career in nonprofit management. Seeking to reflect principles rooted in her faith, Brown sought to share her talents and resources with her community.
 

Shrinking budgets are creating new holes in support services for our most vulnerable citizens at a time when their needs are growing. At the same time, many in the largest and most-influential generation are at a stage in their lives where they are looking for ways to give back. It's almost a perfect storm of supply meeting demand
 

This week, communities across the nation are taking part in Senior Corps Week, an annual event designed to celebrate the powerful impact of Senior Corps volunteers and encourage more Americans 55+ to give back. Want to learn more about what Senior Corps is all about? Take a look at these videos explaining the three programs of Senior Corps - Senior Companions, Foster Grandparents, and RSVP.
 

3 Billion. That's the number of hours, on average, contributed by Americans aged 55 and older in service between 2008 and 2010. Some of these individuals serve with Senior Corps programs like RSVP while others may give back through local faith-based or community organizations, but all provide valuable human capital which communities in need are able to depend on.
 

My grandmother lived in Texas, and she would remind me that everything was bigger there -- including their hearts. The work of one person, empowered by a Corporation for National and Community Service program, demonstrates how thousands of people are making a Texas-sized impact on the lives of our nation's veterans.
 

This Valentine's Day, volunteers across Montana are showing love for our veterans, mobilizing in an effort to help America's heroes prepare tax returns at several Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites around the state including Billings, Bozeman, and Helena.
 

Many years ago, I stepped off a plane from Iraq and onto the tarmac at Pope Airfield in Fort Bragg, NC. The scene was filled with open arms, cheers, the sound of muffled grunts of joy as weeping kids jumped into the arms of their parents, and spouses' soft cries of love and longing. The sounds of reunions were deafening as they bounced off the high walls of the hangar -- it was a sound that I welcomed, and remember to this day.
 

On April 27, Tuscaloosa, Alabama was on the minds of many Americans, but most didn't realize the damage statewide, especially in the small town of Hackleburg, population 1,500. In a rural area nearly 100 miles away from Birmingham, Hackleburg remains in the shadow of Tuscaloosa but the damage was just as bad, if not worse. The majority of the town was demolished and 17 residents were killed in the storm.