.

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

This month, we are celebrating the public-private partnerships that make national service and social innovation possible.

Last year, our programs generated $1.26 billion in required match and additional resources from corporations, foundations, and other sources.  This local support boosts our impact and stretches the return on taxpayer dollars.

Today, we are highlighting new partnerships with two AmeriCorps grantees, Teach For America and City Year. Also, at a White House convening, the Social Innovation Fund (SIF) celebrated the public-private partnerships that have made the SIF find what works and make it work for more people.

And we’re featuring AmeriCorps’ participation in the Obama Administration’s partnership with labs across the country to inspire the next generation of scientists.

Ted Miller
Chief of External Affairs
Corporation for National and Community Service

P.S. Mayor and County Recognition Day for National Service is on April 5, 2016. Scroll down to find out how you can participate.

Partnering for Impact: This week, City Year announced a partnership with HSBC help them more effectively measure student improvement in math. The partnership will make it possible for more City Year AmeriCorps members to serve students full-time in schools in at-risk communities and provide them with tutoring and in-class support. Click here to read more about this partnership.

Celebrating Social Innovation: The Social Innovation Fund (SIF) invests in communities from the ground up and uses evaluation to scale evidence-based models. Today,  leaders gathered in Washington to discuss the SIF’s success over the past five years and how we can build on that for the next five years. SIF Director Damian Thorman joined former SIF Directors Melissa Bradley and Paul Carttar to discuss innovation in government.

Week at the Labs: A growing number of jobs require STEM skills, and America needs a world-class STEM workforce to address the challenges of the 21st century. The White House launched My Brother’s Keeper National Week at the Labs to bring together scientists, engineers, and lab workers to engage students in STEM. Recently, AmeriCorpsDirector Bill Basl and  AmeriCorps members visited the Naval Research Lab with students to inspire them to pursue STEM careers.

Recognizing Service: Mayor and County Recognition Day for National Service is just around the corner! On April 5, 2016, mayors and county officials will hold public events and use traditional and social media to highlight the value of AmeriCorps and Senior Corps to the nation’s cities and counties. Last year, 2,786 elected officials representing more than 150 million citizens participated in the third-annual Mayor and County Recognition Day for National Service.

There is still time for mayors and county officials to register to participate! You can see if your mayor or county leaders are already signed on here. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to CNCS at Mayors4Service@cns.gov.

National Service in the News

AmeriCorps

Teach For America, APS, Deloitte Partner for Alternative Spring Break program
WGCL-TV (GA), March 16, 2016
Thirty-five college students from around the country participated in an Alternative Spring Break program hosted by Teach For America, Atlanta Public Schools and Deloitte,Wednesday morning. Participants worked with students at Fain Elementary in the Adamsville community to create love blankets for seniors at a local senior citizens center. Teach For America, a member of the AmeriCorps national service network, works in partnership with communities to expand educational opportunity for children.

AmeriCorps NCCC

City Beat
The Waterbury Republican-American (CT), March 16, 2016
After years of service to the Waterbury community where she grew up, 21-year-old Tina Fields is moving on. The University of Connecticut senior and longtime member of AmeriCorps has been accepted into that agency’s National Civilian Community Corps. After graduation, she will head out to Denver where she will be assigned a 10-month service project in the Southwest.

AmeriCorps VISTA

Celebrating AmeriCorps Week!
The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle (NY), March 20, 2016
Each year, Foodlink welcomes several AmeriCorps members that work with us for the year, acting as stewards of Foodlink in the community and helping to bring our hunger prevention programs to underserved communities in our area. As we end National AmeriCorps Week, we want to introduce you to the three AmeriCorps staff members helping to make our world here at Foodlink and our 10-county region a little brighter, happier, and less hungry: Tom Silva (AmeriCorps VISTA), Helia Zand (Cooking Matters) and Mikaela Bozza (Cooking Matters).

Senior Corps

The giving back chapter of life
The Burlington Count Times (NJ), March 14, 2016
After a lifetime of working hard, raising children, some retirees relax. Others decide it’s time to give back. Karen Bennett, director of Retired and Senior Volunteer Services (RSVP) of Burlington County, said that volunteering contributes to a longer, happier retirement. Evidence of such has been reported by the National Senior Corps. Studies on the benefits of volunteering have found, “those who volunteer have lower mortality rates, greater functional ability and lower rates of depression later in life than those who do not volunteer. Beyond personal benefits, volunteers positively impact their communities. RSVP in New Jersey has 237 members, who provide over half a million dollars worth of services each year, according to Bennett.

Social Innovation Fund

NYC’s mental health program expanded by First Lady
The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (NY), March 11, 2016
Fourteen community organizations – with eight serving Brooklyn – have received grants in an innovative program spearheaded by First Lady Chirlane McCray to provide mental health care in existing neighborhood facilities. In Brooklyn, the Arab American Association of New York, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, CAMBA, CASES, Comunilife, Red Hook Initiative, Safe Horizon and The HOPE Program will partner with local mental health providers to improve care in communities including Bedford-Stuyvesant, Sunset Park and Red Hook.

National Service Blog

Helping #ConnectALL Americans to Digital Literacy
NationalService.Tumblr.com, March 14, 2016
As the President said in his State of the Union address, we must harness 21st century technology and innovation to expand access to opportunity and tackle our greatest challenges.  Connectivity is a path to greater opportunity. In today’s world, broadband and fluency with technology fuel economic growth, provide access to the world’s knowledge, promote skill development, and build stronger and more connected communities.