Over 140 Cincinnati AmeriCorps members take pledge of service

On Saturday, September 17, over 140 AmeriCorps members from 8 Cincinnati AmeriCorps programs will gather at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens for to take their official pledge of service for the 2016-17 AmeriCorps service year. Often called the “domestic Peace Corps”, for over 20 years thousands of AmeriCorps members have provided direct and capacity building services in cities. Vice Mayor David Mann will deliver the oath of service and staff from the Ohio AmeriCorps office, Serve Ohio will share the value and impact of these dedicated AmeriCorps members.

In 2016, AmeriCorps will surpass 1 million men and women who have served over the past 20 years to make our country stronger. In Cincinnati, AmeriCorps members provide services to address our city’s toughest problems by serving at 55 individual service sites, including social services, schools, nonprofits, universities, health facilities, and others. These sites are the placement host agency sites, who partner with various AmeriCorps programs such as (alphabetically): Cincinnati Habitat for Humanity AmeriCorps, Cincinnati Youth Collaborative AmeriCorps Ohio College Guides, Cincinnati Zoo Unto You- AmeriCorps Community Service, Notre Dame AmeriCorps – Cincinnati, Public Allies Cincinnati, Santa Maria Community Services Project Advance, Teach For America and Vincentian Volunteers of Cincinnati.

AmeriCorps members make a difference in our city and in our nation:

  • AmeriCorps is a cost‐effective solution to America’s toughest problems: Each AmeriCorps volunteer serves for 9 to 24 months, with the majority of members receiving only a living stipend and tuition award to help with higher education costs.
  • AmeriCorps expands education and economic opportunity: People of all ages and backgrounds gain experience through their service while earning funds for higher education.
  • AmeriCorps strengthens the impact of our nation’s nonprofits: In Cincinnati alone, AmeriCorps members provide help and services at 55 different nonprofits and schools.
  • With more than 20 years of experience, AmeriCorps is poised for even‐greater impact and growth. AmeriCorps is a cost‐effective solution to America’s toughest problems.

Service is a Solution: Nationwide, more than 75,000 AmeriCorps members improve the lives of millions of our most vulnerable citizens each year. AmeriCorps’ impacts are proven and measurable.

  • Education and Youth: AmeriCorps places thousands of teachers, tutors, and mentors into low‐performing schools, helping students succeed in school and gain skills necessary to get 21st‐century jobs.
  • Veterans and Military Families: AmeriCorps supports the military community by engaging veterans in service, helping veterans readjust to civilian life, and supporting military families.
  • Disasters: From forest fires and floods, to hurricanes and tornadoes, AmeriCorps members have provided critical support to millions of Americans affected by disasters since 1994.
  • Economic Opportunity: AmeriCorps VISTA engages more than 8,000 members each year in fighting poverty by creating businesses, expanding access to technology, recruiting volunteers to teach literacy, and strengthening antipoverty groups.
  • Health: AmeriCorps members save lives and improve health through HIV/AIDS education and outreach, drug and alcohol prevention training, and connecting poor families to health clinics and services.
  • Environment: Members build trails, restore parks, protect watersheds, run recycling programs, and promote energy efficiency, weatherization, and clean energy.

AmeriCorps expands education and economic opportunity:

  • Preparing the 21st Century Workforce: AmeriCorps is a pathway to economic opportunity that provides members with valuable skills, leadership abilities, and experience to help jumpstart their careers.
  • Expanding Educational Opportunity: AmeriCorps members have earned more than $3 billion in Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards since 1994, helping hundreds of thousands of alums pay for college.
  • Building Community Leaders: An AmeriCorps longitudinal study found that AmeriCorps alums are more attached to their communities, aware of community challenges, and empowered to address them.
  • Pipeline to Public Service: AmeriCorps alums are significantly more likely to go into public service careers, with 60% entering nonprofits or public service. This is particularly true of minorities and people from low‐income backgrounds.

Since September 2014, nearly 400 employers have signed up to be Employers of National Service, showing that they value national service in career and skill development. Many corporations, nonprofits, federal, state, and local government agencies, and states, such as Virginia and Montana, have signed up to be Employers of National Service, recognizing the valuable skills that AmeriCorps members bring to the workplace. AmeriCorps strengthens the impact of our nation’s nonprofits:  AmeriCorps members help tens of thousands of faith‐based and community groups expand services, build capacity, raise funds, develop new partnerships, and create innovative, sustainable programs. Mobilizing volunteers:AmeriCorps is a powerful catalyst and force‐multiplier for community volunteering. Last year, AmeriCorps members recruited, trained, and supervised millions of community volunteers for the organizations they serve.

AmeriCorps in Ohio is administered by ServeOhio, Ohio’s Commission on Service and Volunteerism. ServeOhio supports 24 AmeriCorps programs with over 800 members serving at 482 service locations across the state. In the 2017 program year, Ohio AmeriCorps members will serve over 1.1 million hours and qualify for $3.9 million in education awards.  For more information about AmeriCorps in Ohio, visit www.serveohio.org.

For more information contact: Receccah Verhoff-Kiss at 614-995-5269 or Rebeccah.Verhoff-Kiss@serveohio.gov