Spring Break
Clearinghouse for Volunteers
AmeriCorps engergized throughout the nation
Corinne Hawes & Sarah Miller
Issue date: 4/9/09 Section: Editorial/Opinion
04/09/09 - Did you know that more than 75,000 Americans participate in a national service every year? Did you know that more than 100 URI students are engaged in that same national service movement each year? This national service movement is AmeriCorps, and it is growing stronger each year.
According to its Web site, "AmeriCorps is a network of national service programs that engage Americans in intensive service to meet the nation's critical needs in education, public safety, health, and the environment."
President Barack Obama will soon sign into law the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. He recently released the following statement regarding the passing of the act: "I'm so pleased that the Senate overwhelmingly passed the bipartisan Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act - legislation that will usher in a new era of service. I want to applaud all those who have worked so hard to see this bill through, and I am eager to sign it into law."
This legislation will help create new opportunities for millions of Americans at all stages of their lives. It will improve service learning in schools and create an army of 250,000 volunteers a year dedicated to addressing our nation's toughest problems. It will connect working Americans to a variety of part-time service opportunities to better utilizing the skills and experience of our retirees and baby boomers.
This legislation will help tap the genius of our faith-based and community organizations, and it will find the most innovative ideas for addressing our common challenges and helping those ideas grow.
"It is fitting that this legislation is named after Ted Kennedy, a person who has never stopped asking what he could do for his country," Obama said. "This legislation is not just a tribute to the service to which he has dedicated his life, it is a call to action for the rest of us. Our work is not finished when I sign this bill into law - it has just begun.
"While our government can provide every opportunity imaginable for us to serve our communities, it is up to each of us to seize those opportunities. To do our part to lift up our fellow Americans. To realize our own true potential. I call on all Americans to stand up and do what they can to serve their communities, shape our history and enrich both their own lives and the lives of others across this country."
According to its Web site, "AmeriCorps is a network of national service programs that engage Americans in intensive service to meet the nation's critical needs in education, public safety, health, and the environment."
President Barack Obama will soon sign into law the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. He recently released the following statement regarding the passing of the act: "I'm so pleased that the Senate overwhelmingly passed the bipartisan Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act - legislation that will usher in a new era of service. I want to applaud all those who have worked so hard to see this bill through, and I am eager to sign it into law."
This legislation will help create new opportunities for millions of Americans at all stages of their lives. It will improve service learning in schools and create an army of 250,000 volunteers a year dedicated to addressing our nation's toughest problems. It will connect working Americans to a variety of part-time service opportunities to better utilizing the skills and experience of our retirees and baby boomers.
This legislation will help tap the genius of our faith-based and community organizations, and it will find the most innovative ideas for addressing our common challenges and helping those ideas grow.
"It is fitting that this legislation is named after Ted Kennedy, a person who has never stopped asking what he could do for his country," Obama said. "This legislation is not just a tribute to the service to which he has dedicated his life, it is a call to action for the rest of us. Our work is not finished when I sign this bill into law - it has just begun.
"While our government can provide every opportunity imaginable for us to serve our communities, it is up to each of us to seize those opportunities. To do our part to lift up our fellow Americans. To realize our own true potential. I call on all Americans to stand up and do what they can to serve their communities, shape our history and enrich both their own lives and the lives of others across this country."
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