Six months ago, Congress proposed a plan to make drastic cuts to AmeriCorps funding that would have devastated service programs nationwide. More importantly, the cuts would have taken critical services out of local communities and schools. What happened next? Americans took a #Stand4Service.
Voices for National Service launched an initiative to urge Congress to reconsider their planned cuts, and the response was overwhelming. Communities and organizations mobilized to save national service: thousands of people wrote letters, made calls, and posted on social media. Statewide efforts ran articles in local papers and circulated petitions.
The nation joined together to #Stand4Service, and Congress listened. On the morning of December 16, AnnMaura Connolly, president of Voices for National Service, shared the good news that Congress had proposed an increase in funding for national service, stating,
Last night, Congress announced an omnibus spending package that includes increases to national service funding for Fiscal Year 2016. The omnibus includes $1.1 billion for the Corporation for National and Community Service, a $40 million increase for CNCS over last year’s level.
By week’s end, on December 18, the House and Senate passed the omnibus spending package and POTUS swiftly approved!
Why does national service matter?
National service has a broad impact on education programs nation-wide. City Year, Teach For America, Minnesota Reading Corps, and Reading Partners are just some of the national service organizations creating positive change in communities, schools, and kids’ education. The vote to protect national service also saves thousands of AmeriCorps positions for members who serve local communities.
For students, the impact of national service means they have a higher chance to succeed in school, reaching higher goals in education and in their long term careers. At Reading Partners, AmeriCorps members serve students in schools across the country, bringing volunteers and students together to provide highly effective tutoring services at a low cost to schools. In a recent study, “Mobilizing Volunteer Tutors to Improve Student Literacy,” AmeriCorps members were shown to be resource multipliers for schools in need.
What does national service look like at Reading Partners?
*Independent sector value of volunteer time.
Thanks to the passion and commitment of AmeriCorps site coordinators and volunteer coordinators who commit a year to national service, Reading Partners’ third and fourth grade students will, on average, double their rate of learning.
Join us in thanking Congress for #Standing4Service and protecting our opportunity to make our nation a better and brighter place.
To learn more about AmeriCorps service at Reading Partners visit staging.readingpartners.org/americorps.
For more information about the #Stand4Service campaign and state of national service funding visit https://www.voices4service.org/
