Rigorous Longitudinal Study of AmeriCorps Finds Significant Impacts Eight Years Later

AmeriCorps is building a powerful pipeline for public servants, civic leaders, and social entrepreneurs, finds a new longitudinal study released today by the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Released in coordination with a Brookings Institution briefing this morning, the study, Still Serving: Measuring the Eight-Year Impact of AmeriCorps on Alumni, is the most rigorous evaluation ever conducted on AmeriCorps’ long-term impacts on its members. Based on data collected eight years after members completed their year of service, the study conclusively demonstrates that AmeriCorps causes long-term positive impacts on the civic attitudes and behaviors of the program's alumni. AmeriCorps alums are significantly more civically engaged and more likely to pursue public service careers in the government and nonprofit sector than their counterparts in the scientifically crafted comparison group, which has also been tracked for eight years. They are also significantly more likely to be happy and satisfied with their lives. The report, executive summary, and other information is at www.NationalService.gov/research.

Southern California: AmeriCorps Week Review

“Getting things done,” motivated the Los Angeles California Safe Corps members to plan daily service activities throughout national AmeriCorps week. As a group we wanted to reach out to our local Los Angeles community and “get things done” within our own area. We served six different organizations and performed seven different service projects:

5/12 Independent Beach Clean Up: To raise awareness about the importance of a clean environment the AmeriCorps team picked up trash around Venice beach

5/13 L.A. Food Bank: The L.A. Food Bank provides thousands of people, who would otherwise go hungry, with food and nourishment. At the L.A. Food Bank the team sorted and organized food for distribution.

5/14 OPCC (Ocean Park Community Center, Daybreak): Daybreak is a day center specifically designated for mentally ill homeless women; the center opens its doors and offers a place for women to find support in day to day living. At Daybreak, the team painted its facilities to provide a warm and welcoming environment.

5/15 Rebuilding Together: Rebuilding Together is an organization that rebuilds low income housing. With the Rebuilding Together team, the AmeriCorps group prepared an elderly women’s house for the upcoming build days.

5/16 Project Angel Food: Project Angel Food is an organization that prepares meals for men, women, and children affected by HIV/AIDS and other serious illnesses. The AmeriCorps team prepared over 1,200 meals in one day.

5/17 Project Angel Food: Each meal at Project Angel Food is delivered inside a hand decorated delivery bag. The AmeriCorps team decorated fifty delivery bags for Project Angel Food.

5/18 Tree People: Tree People is an organization that educates the public about the environment and plants trees around the surrounding Los Angeles area. With the UCLA Pathways program, the AmeriCorps team planted seventeen trees along Temascal Canyon Road.

Our week of service reminded us how such a small group of volunteers can make such a large impact in a community. It was a great opportunity to partner with different organizations and show how the AmeriCorps team “gets things done!”

By: Elda Kong

CADRE

Cynthia Hsu participated in the CADRE (Collaborating Agencies Disaster Relief Effort) Conference @ NASA on April 30th, 2008. It was a huge success! The conference had 250 people register for the event representing various government, emergency management, and community based organizations. Cynthia had the opportunity to speak about Agency Emergency Planning with 2 other professionals in that field: Gene Sawyer, the President of the Emergency Management Association, and Franci Collins, Red Cross liaison who has done outstanding advocacy work with immigrants in Santa Clara County.

Cynthia stated about the conference: "It was an unbelievable experience and I feel so fortunate to have had this opportunity!It was very uplifting and assuring to see so many people working together to ensure that Santa Clara County has the necessarymeans and support to recover and carry on following a catastrophic disaster."

California Safe Corps 2008-2009

It is with great pleasure that I inform you that California Safe Corps has been successfully funded for the 2008-2009 program year. Furthermore, due to the outstanding work of this year's corps and all of the staff who support and supervise members, California Volunteers has increased our total number of Safe Corps members to 24.

This has been by far the best year of service for California Safe Corps since its inception in 2003. It has been an honor and privelege to serve with these outstanding members and I thank them for making this program a success. Finally, thank you to all the site managers and staff who contribute their time to mentoring and guiding the Safe Corps members. You have made this a great partnership.

Letter to the Editor: AmeriCorps Week

I remember first hearing about AmeriCorps in a speech given by President Clinton to Congress. I thought that was a great idea, a way to have people give back to the nation and earn money for college. It harkened back to President Kennedy’s Inaugural speech where he challenged Americans to ask not what the nation could do for them, but what they could do for the nation. President George W. Bush re-affirmed this commitment to volunteerism when he urged all American to commit to public service. Little did I know that I would someday end up in the Corps myself.

I needed a job, and AmeriCorps had a position working with the American Red Cross of Ventura County. The pay was low but there was something about the organization that appealed to my idealism. Red Cross is truly a necessary and valuable organization and the good works they do are almost legendary. When I met some of the people I was taken by their selflessness and dedication. Most were volunteers who gave of themselves out of a love of their fellow man. After the many jobs I have had over the years, it was refreshing. So I joined up, got the patch and took the oath.

AmeriCorps sent me on an extensive training mission to San Jose. I met more admirable people and others, like myself, motivated to give back something to the community. They were a mixed bag, old people like myself who remembered the Hippie Movement and its idealism, young outdoors people comfortable in hiking boots and blue jeans, and urban groups from all races and economic backgrounds. I had pre-supposed the Corps would be made up of the poor, seeking a way to round out their education, and a few could be classified in this way, but most were there not for the education stipend but out of a need to serve. I was impressed by there youthful optimism and pleased to discover not all young people were troubled, angst-filled, video-gamers. The training was intense and gave us the tools we needed to fulfill our mission.

Upon my return I was stationed in Camarillo where I got to meet more Red Cross staff and set to work on a variety of projects. The hours are long, but the work is worthy and needed. I am saddened that when the contract ends I will be forced to move on. Still, I believe that, like many in the Corps I will be back as a volunteer, helping out in the challenging work of Red Cross.

AmeriCorps doesn’t get the headlines and it almost operates under the public radar screen that’s why May 11th to 18th has been selected to let people know what this worth-while organization is all about. In 2007 alone AmeiCorps mobilized and managed an estimated 1.7 million volunteers. Since its inception in 1994 AmeriCorps has recruited 542,000 members and given out $1.43 Billion dollars in earned education grants. It’s about tapping into the wealth of good feeling that resides in the American heart. For me AmeriCorps is all about being part of the solution. Yes, we live in an imperfect world and a single glance at any newspaper is enough to measure our national problems. It’s easy to sink into a pool of despair, but I believe that organizations like Red Cross and AmeriCorps offered a light in the darkness and hope that this sorry world can solve her problems and reach the promises made by our founding fathers so long ago. AmeriCorps is one way citizens can help make America a better place

Richard Senate, AmeriCorps member, American Red Cross of Ventura County.