National Literacy Events Honoring AmeriCorps’ 20th Anniversary
April 30, 2014
Reading Partners Celebrate National Service in Pairs: Honoring AmeriCorps’ 20th Anniversary
Starting in September 2013, AmeriCorps kicked off it’s year long celebration to recognize the commitment of the more than 820,000 AmeriCorps members and alums who have served more than one billion hours making extraordinary impacts in our communities over the past two decades.
During the 20th Anniversary of AmeriCorps, the Corporation for National and Community Service hopes to recognize important moments in AmeriCorps’ history, but to also look ahead to an exciting future promising even greater impact and growth.
In honor of AmeriCorps’ 20th Anniversary Celebrations, Reading Partners’ AmeriCorps members stationed at Reading Centers across the country brought together community partners, local celebrities, AmeriCorps members from other organizations, and members of the public to participate in one day tutoring events. These events not only helped children grow and strengthen their reading skills, but also put on display the vast impact that AmeriCorps has on Reading Partners’ program, in local communities, and in the lives of students struggling with reading.
Reading Partners currently hosts approximately 200 AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps*VISTA members who serve as Site Coordinators, Volunteer Coordinators, Development Engineers and more. These AmeriCorps members played a key role in planning these tutoring events meant to engage and introduce local communities to national service.
Through this national effort, Reading Partners engaged over 160 community and AmeriCorps volunteers who led students through over 280 tutoring sessions!
An anonymous volunteer from San Francisco had this to say about the event he attended, “[It was a] great opportunity to learn about both AmeriCorps and Reading Partners and to reflect on the meaning of the organization and my own reasons for volunteering.”
We hope all of the individuals who volunteered walked away from their event thinking about the power of volunteerism and the importance of national service. We know that AmeriCorps members, working in different capacities in every nook and cranny of the United States, are making a meaningful difference in their communities and in the lives of others.
Cheers to another +20 years AmeriCorps!
Thank you to AmeriCorps members from the following organizations who attended our tutoring events!: Playworks, Silicon Valley Health Corps, City Year, Jumpstart, TFA, Campfire, Meals on Wheels, Owasso Community Resources, Crossroads Clubhouse, Tulsa City-County Library, NCCC team, DC AmeriCorps Alums, Turning the Page, DC Reads.
A special thank you goes out to local and national leaders and community partners who participated in our tutoring events, including; Senator Shumate (OK); Susan Neal, Vice President of Tulsa University; Mel Holtz, Commissioner from the Maryland Governor’s Office of Service and Volunteerism; Bill Basl, Director of AmeriCorps, Corporation for National Service; Service Nation, LinkedIn, Google, and Kaiser Permanente Employees; Denver University and San Jose State University Athletes…and many many more!