South Carolina One of Six States to Host National Listening Tour
May 13, 2009COLUMBIA, SC – May 12, 2009 – Anyone interested in finding out more about the Serve America Act and national community service is invited to attend a public forum with representatives from the Washington-based Corporation for National and Community Service. Current grantees, former grantees, potential grantees and all interested citizens are invited to come. Registration for the event is suggested at www.nationalservice.gov.
The event will be at the Airport Campus of Midlands Technical College in the Academic Center Auditorium on Thursday, May 14, 2009 from 1-4 p.m. Columbia will serve as one of six locations throughout the country chosen for a listening session.
In attendance will be Nicola Goren, the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Federal Agency that oversees America’s service and volunteering programs, including AmeriCorps State and National, AmeriCorps VISTA, AmeriCorps NCCC, Senior Corps, Learn and Serve America and other domestic volunteering programs.
Also in attendance: Frank Trinity, General Counsel; Kristin McSwain, Chief of Program Operations and the Director of AmeriCorps State and National for the Corporation for National and Community Service; and Michael Herrington of AmeriCorps, and many state and local community leaders.
The Corporation is inviting preliminary informal input from the public concerning theimplementation of the Serve America Act to consider in developing the agency’s strategic plan and in otherwise developing guidelines around new and existing programs.
On April 21, 2009 President Obama signed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act with a focus on national community service. The Act takes effect on October 1, 2009 and charges the Corporation and its partners with dramatically expanding opportunities for all Americans to serve in the nonprofit sector. The law will expand the Corporation’s existing programs and create new initiatives to increase service opportunities and strengthen the organization’s civic infrastructure.
The Act hopes to greatly expand national service programs including increasing AmeriCorps from 75,000 to 250,000 positions, expanding service opportunities for students and baby boomers, and strengthening America’s civic infrastructure by investing in social innovation and volunteer mobilization.
The tour begins May 13 in Springfield, Mo. Columbia is the second stop on the tour. Other cities include Washington, Boston, Salt Lake City and New Orleans. The tour will conclude on May 28, 2009.