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FY19 Appropriations Bill Signed, Includes $19 Million Increase for National Service
On September 28, the President signed into law the $855.1 billion FY 2019 appropriations bill (HR 6157) funding the departments of Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. The measure includes $178.1 billion for the departments of Labor, Education and Health and Human Services & Related Agencies. The bill also includes a Continuing Resolution funding other parts of the government through December 7, 2018.
In a major win for service programs and state service commissions, HR 6157 also includes $1.083 billion for the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), an increase of $19 million over FY 2018. Within this, the AmeriCorps State and National program will receive $425 million, a $13 million increase and Senior Corps will receive a $6 million increase over FY 2018. “We are thrilled to see HR 6157 pass in regular order and with such strong bipartisan support under Chairman Shelby’s, Senator Leahy’s, Chairman Frelinghuysen’s, and Representative Lowey’s leadership on Appropriations,” said Tom Branen, Chief Policy Officer of America’s Service Commissions. “It will provide critical funding and increased investment in vital service programs such as AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, the Volunteer Generation Fund, and the network of governor-appointed state service commissions.”
America’s Service Commissions (ASC) and its public policy arm, the States for Service (S4S) coalition, are conducting a campaign throughout the month of October to thank members of Congress for their efforts.
Take a moment to say "thank you" to Congress >>
Nine Leaders Receive National Recognition at 2018 ASC Innovation & Leadership Awards Event
 On September 13th, nine outstanding community leaders from across the nation were recognized at a reception in Arlington, VA for the fifth annual America’s Service Commissions (ASC) Innovation and Leadership Awards. The awards program is held by ASC each year in the Washington, DC area to recognize the hard work, leadership, and accomplishments of state service commission staff, commissioners, service programs and their champions throughout the United States and its territories. Thank you to our sponsors for making this event possible, especially Gold Sponsors City Year and Serve Illinois!
2018 ASC Innovation & Leadership Award Recipients:
Friend of America’s Service Commissions: Senator Roy Blunt (R-Missouri)
State Service Leadership Award: Governor John W. Hickenlooper (D-Colorado)
Outstanding Commissioner: Kate Kelly (Minnesota)
Outstanding Commission Executive Director: Scott McFarland (Illinois)
Outstanding Commission Staff: Caitlin Brooking (Mississippi)
Outstanding Commission Staff: Ia Moua (California)
Outstanding Service Program: YWCA of Central Alabama AmeriCorps (Alabama)
In addition to the seven leadership awards, America's Service Commissions inducted two outstanding individuals to the ASC 'Honor Roll' who have blazed a trail and left behind a lasting impact on the state service commission network through their long-lasting careers in service:
2018 ASC Honor Roll Inductees:
Elizabeth Darling (Texas)
Debbie Schuffenhauer (Washington)
View more event photos on Flickr >>
Learn more and view the event program >>
Commissions Respond to Hurricane Florence
This past month, Hurricane Florence left a trail of destruction across the Southeastern coast of the United States. The North and South Carolina state service commissions and their local AmeriCorps programs have sprung into action to help affected communities respond and recover. Working with their Governor’s Offices, state emergency management agencies, Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOADs), and the Corporation for National & Community Service’s Disaster Services Unit (CNCS DSU), these state service commissions are playing a critical role in coordinating national service and volunteer resources on the ground.
In response to Hurricane Florence, the North Carolina Commission Volunteer NC and its AmeriCorps members have teamed up to help the citizens of of their state. AmeriCorps State members have assisted with taking calls for the 2-1-1 Disaster hotline and helped with a distribution center in Wilmington, one of the cities most affected by the storm. They also organized a One Day Blitz in which 500 volunteers mucked several hundred houses in New Bern, North Carolina, one of the other hardest hit areas. Learn more or donate to NC.
Since September 9th, nearly a week before Hurricane Florence made landfall, the South Carolina Service Commission began preparing for and responding to the hurricane impacts. Alongside the South Carolina Emergency Management team, the SC Commission is staffing the Emergency Support Function 18 (ESF-18), also known as volunteer and donations management, by coordinating unaffiliated volunteers from both within and outside the state with host agencies. The SC Commission is working closely with local United Way partners, keeping them well informed, and arranged for a group of four AmeriCorps members from an Upstate program to assist with emergency financial services in the Pee-Dee region. The commission continues to see Florence's impact in South Carolina from residual flooding, and is waiting for the flood waters to fully recede to understand the extent of the need in their state. The Palmetto Conservation Corps AmeriCorps State program is training and preparing to deploy for ongoing clean-up and recovery, in addition to two AmeriCorps NCCC teams. Learn more and donate to SC.
Thank you to the NC & SC Commissions and the AmeriCorps and Senior Corps members on the ground for their tireless hurricane response and recovery efforts.
Congratulations, VGF Awardees!
The George H. W. Bush Volunteer Generation Fund (VGF) is a grant program funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). The Volunteer Generation Fund was established by the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act in 2009, expanding the role of CNCS in strengthening the nation’s volunteer infrastructure and building the capacity of state and local volunteer organizations to recruit, manage and train volunteers.
Last month, CNCS awarded 23 VGF grants to state service commissions, totaling more than $5.4 million - the highest level of VGF funding in history.
Congratulations to the following commissions for being awarded a VGF grant in 2018-2019:
| STATE | Commission | Approved Funding |
|---|
| AZ |
Arizona Governor's Commission on Service and Volunteerism |
$117,990 |
| CA |
California Volunteers |
$197,235 |
| CO |
Serve Colorado Governor's Commission on Community Service |
$147,299 |
| DC |
Serve DC-Mayor's Office on Volunteerism |
$148,333 |
| FL |
Volunteer Florida |
$413,039 |
| IA |
Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service |
$192,023 |
| KS |
Kansas Volunteer Commission |
$113,899 |
| KY |
Serve Kentucky |
$303,274 |
| LA |
Volunteer Louisiana Commission |
$243,377 |
| MA |
Massachusetts Service Alliance |
$207,148 |
| ME |
Maine Commission for Community Service |
$222,256 |
| MI |
Michigan Community Service Commission |
$318,333 |
| MN |
Minnesota Commission on National and Community Service |
$252,084 |
| MS |
Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Service |
$349,603 |
| NH |
Volunteer NH |
$131,257 |
| NJ |
New Jersey Commission on National Community Service |
$283,333 |
| NY |
New York State Commission on National and Community Service |
$498,333 |
| OH |
Serve Ohio-- Ohio Commission on Service and Volunteerism |
$157,592 |
| SC |
United Way Association of South Carolina |
$255,956 |
| TN |
Volunteer Tennessee |
$298,388 |
| WA |
Serve Washington |
$143,160 |
| WV |
WV Commission for National and Community Service |
$262,295 |
| WY |
ServeWyoming - Wyoming Commission on National and Community Service |
$143,793 |
| |
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$5,400,000 |
Learn more about VGF >>
Coming Soon! 2019 Regional Training Conferences
We are excited to begin the planning process for the next round of Regional Training Conferences in 2019! Exact dates and venues are still being confirmed, but we are excited to announce that the conferences will be hosted in the following cities and states in partnership with each of the local state service commissions:
- Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN - Hosted by ServeMinnesota
- Boise, ID - Hosted by Serve Idaho
- Pittsburgh, PA - Hosted by PennSERVE
Keep checking back for date announcements >>
2019 National Direct Consultation Single Form
America's Service Commissions (ASC) is pleased to continue its online AmeriCorps National Direct Consultation process and single form in 2019 to initiate and streamline consultation between multi-state applicants and state service commissions. For the FY19 AmeriCorps NOFO, 45 of 52 state service commissions are participating in the single online form.
By completing the online consultation form, multi-state AmeriCorps grant applicants can initiate consultation for all participating states. The deadline to submit this form is no later than the FY19 AmeriCorps application deadline set by the Corporation for National and Community Service (Wednesday, January 30, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time). For more information regarding consultation requirements, please review the FY19 AmeriCorps NOFO on the CNCS website. Informational WebinarState commissions and multi-state AmeriCorps grant applicants are invited to join us for an informational webinar on Friday, October 19 at 12:00 p.m. ET to learn more about the consultation form and process.
Mott Foundation Afterschool Update
Thanks to a grant from the Mott Foundation, eight state service commissions have been working to expand the quality and quantity of afterschool programming through national service. In less  than one year, the participating state service commissions have hosted numerous listening sessions and surveyed their states to better understand the needs of organizations serving children in afterschool and out-of-school settings.
As a result of the grant activities, two state service commissions have awarded planning grants, one state has awarded a planning grant with a summer pilot for 2019, and another state has awarded an operational grant that begins this fall for programs to expand afterschool quality and/or quantity within the state. In the coming months, new state service commissions will be added on to explore similar needs and opportunities. We are grateful for the support of the Mott Foundation in continuing this work to meet afterschool needs through service.
Learn more about our afterschool initiative >>
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In This Issue...
- Upcoming Events
- FY19 Appropriations Bill Signed
- Nine Leaders Receive Awards from ASC
- Commissions Respond to Hurricane Florence
- Congratulations to VGF Grantees
- Coming Soon - Regional Trainings
- National Direct Consultation Form & Webinar
- Get to Know: States for Service (S4S)
- NCSTA Turns 25
- Prudential Award Nominations Now Open
- Mott Afterschool Update
- Service Job Board
- T/TA Directory
- Volunteer with ASC
Upcoming Events
October 1-31: AmeriCorps Opening Day Events (varies by state)
October 8, 15, 22 and 29: States for Service (S4S) Informational Webinars
October 17: ASC Annual Membership Assembly (Rescheduled; webinar) - Commission Members Only - 4:00 - 5:30 PM ET
October 19: ASC FY19 National Direct Consultation Informational Webinar - 12:00 - 1:00 PM ET
October 19: Service Year Alliance Virtual Job Fair - 2:00 - 4:00 PM ET
November 6: Prudential Spirit of Community Awards Nomination Deadline
November 27: Giving Tuesday
December 3: Public Comment Deadline for Changes to the AmeriCorps Member Application
December 12: Notice of Intent to Apply Deadline for AmeriCorps State/National Grants (Commissions and National Directs only)
NCSTA Turns 25!
Happy 25th birthday to AmeriCorps and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS)! Both were created by the National & Community Service Trust Act (NCSTA) of 1993 which also birthed the role of state service commissions as we know them today. The NCSTA was signed into law by then President Clinton on September 21, 1993. The first AmeriCorps members were sworn into service one year later in 1994.
Stay tuned for additional news on how you can celebrate the "official" AmeriCorps 25th Anniversary in 2019!
Learn more about our collective history >>
Service Job Board
Looking for new opportunities in the service sector? Check out the ASC Service Job Board, including recent listings such as the following:
Disaster Services Specialist, Oklahoma AmeriCorps
Program Officer, Maryland Governor's Office on Service & Volunteerism
Financial Management Consultant, Maryland Governor's Office on Service & Volunteerism
Portfolio Training Manager, Maryland Governor's Office on Service & Volunteerism
Impact Services Manager, United Way Association of South Carolina/SC Service Commission
T/TA Directory
 As a reminder, ASC has published the 2018 ASC Training and Technical Assistance (T/TA) Directory. This is a resource we compile annually with information on consultants and trainers in the national service and volunteer field. ASC encourages members to use the Directory as a resource when releasing RFPs and seeking TTA providers.
Download the 2018 TTA Directory >>
Volunteer with ASC
We are currently recruiting volunteer interns in the following roles for fall/winter 2018:
Advocacy and Policy Intern
Communications Volunteer/ Intern
To learn more and apply, click here.
Virtual Career Fair for AmeriCorps and Service Year Alums
 Service Year Alliance is hosting a Virtual Career Fair on Friday October 19th from 2-4pm (ET). This FREE to attend event is a great resource to share with your alumni and graduating corps members (only available to Corps graduating by December 31st are eligible). The event features employers from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors and many are Employers of National Service.
Learn more and spread the news >>
Prudential Awards Now Open
 The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards honors young people in grades 5-12 for making meaningful contributions to their communities through volunteer service. Applications are now open through November 6th.
Top honorees will earn monetary awards and all-expense-paid trips with a parent or guardian to Washington, D.C. for the program's national recognition events. Qualifying honorees also receive the President's Volunteer Service Award, granted by the program on behalf of the White House.
Applications can be certified for state-level judging by school principals or the head of a local Girl Scouts, 4-H, Red Cross, YMCA or affiliate of Points of Light’s HandsOn Network.
Since 1995, the program, sponsored by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), has honored more than 125,000 young volunteers on the local, state and national level. Start your nomination >>
Get to Know: States for Service (S4S) 
Are you interested in working on national service public policy at the state and local level? Do you want to protect national and community service for generations to come?
Join States for Service (S4S), the public policy arm of ASC, which focuses on mobilizing for service at the state and local level. Leadership opportunities available.
Join us every Monday in October for a 1-hour S4S Informational webinar to learn more. Sign up for one of the following time slots:
Monday, October 8: 2:00 - 3:00 PM ET
Monday, October 15: 1:00 - 2:00 PM ET
Monday, October 22: 3:00 - 4:00 PM ET
Monday, October 29: 2:00 - 3:00 PM ET
Join S4S now >>
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