Chair Goldsmith and CEO Eisner Announce New National Service Resources

Washington D.C. - The power of volunteers to transform lives and tackle deep-rooted social problems including the drop-out epidemic, addiction, homelessness, and HIV/AIDS became a primary focus of a two-day White House gathering of more than 1,500 religious and nonprofit leaders from across the country.

President George W. Bush saluted the “armies of compassion” for improving millions of people’s lives, noting that in the seven years of his Administration, government support of nonprofit and faith-based groups has enabled 200,000 Americans to move from addiction toward recovery, provided nearly 90,000 children of prisoners with caring mentors, helped reduce chronic homelessness across the U.S. by nearly 12 percent in one year, delivered compassionate care to 6.3 million impacted by HIV/AIDS worldwide, and more.

President Bush said, "Over the past seven years, more of our fellow citizens have discovered that the pursuit of happiness leads by following the path of service. Americans have volunteered in record numbers; 60 million people have volunteered in America this year, nearly a third of them through faith-based groups. It's an amazing statistic, isn't it? It really speaks to the great beauty of our country."

The Corporation for National and Community Service today shared three announcements at the conference: growth of the partnership between VISTA and the Department of Justice’s Weed and Seed Prisoner Reentry Program; new online resources supporting connections between faith-based organizations and non-profit service-based initiatives; and a focus on faith-based initiatives as part of State Service Commission meeting planned for the fall.

Corporation Chair Stephen Goldsmith, who, as Mayor of Indianapolis and Domestic Policy Advisor to his 2000 campaign, helped the President shape the faith-based initiative, said, “The Corporation has worked closely with the White House on the faith-based and community initiative since its inception, working not only to level the playing field but activate millions of people with good ideas and big hearts to help their neighbors. There has been extraordinary progress and we are at an exciting time as American optimism, volunteering, faith, and social entrepreneurship are coming together to offer new ways of solving problems through citizen action.”

Goldsmith highlighted several converging trends that bode well for the future of social entrepreneurship -- the large number of baby boomers approaching retirement and looking for ways to give back; the soaring levels of civic engagement by today’s young people; the emergence of Web 2.0 technologies making it easier for citizens to connect; and the blending of the government, social, and corporate sectors. To ride this wave of innovation, he encouraged government at all levels to remove barriers and burdens; to focus on outcomes and results; and to experiment with vouchers and other models that give beneficiaries a choice.

Noting how service is a solution to social challenges ranging from gangs to high-school dropouts to the 15 million children without caring adults in their lives, Eisner told the crowd, “We don’t have a better intervention against any of these problems than someone who is willing to stand up and say, ‘I care.’ ” He underscored the need for nonprofit groups to work more closely with faith-based organizations. Research shows that while most Americans who volunteer do so through religious organizations, 85 percent of nonprofits that utilize volunteers have no relationships with faith-based organizations.

Eisner outlined several ways the Corporation and its grants, research, and training and technical assistance resources can help faith-based and community groups expand their reach and better achieve their mission. In fiscal 2007, the Corporation awarded nearly $63 million -- or 11.7 percent of its overall competitive grant funds - to faith-based organizations, exceeding the federal average for the fourth year in a row. In total, the number of Corporation grants to faith-based organizations has grown by 23 percent since 2002.

One example of how national service supports faith-based and community groups is the Corporation’s Prisoner Reentry Initiative, a partnership with the Department of Justice’s Weed and Seed program. Every year, more than 670,000 ex-offenders are released from prison, and statistics indicate about two-thirds will be rearrested. Reentry programs that provide housing, employment, training and other resources can make a big difference in helping ex-offenders make positive choices instead of returning to crime. The VISTA program, piloted in four cities, has expanded to 40 cities and engages 230 VISTAs in recruiting volunteers, developing sustainable programs, and connecting ex-offenders to resources. In 2007 alone, these programs served more than 7,200 ex-offenders.

As part of the conference, the Corporation released two new online courses tools on its Resource Center website, which is available at NationalService.gov. The first, “State Commissions and Faith-Based and Community Organizations” will help the 50 governor-appointed state service commissions learn how to best work with their local faith-based and community groups. The second, called “Leveraging Partnerships for Community Impact” will help organizations who use volunteers learn to partner more effectively with faith-based and community groups.

The Corporation for National and Community Service improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. Each year the Corporation engages more than four million Americans of all ages and backgrounds in service to meet local needs through its Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, VISTA, NCCC, and Learn and Serve America programs. For more information, visit NationalService.gov.

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