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I admit it – I’m overwhelmed. The power of the last 10 days has demonstrated that the momentum we’ve felt for months around service and volunteering has only intensified and is getting stronger. Think about just a few highlights from the last two weeks: the President addresses thousands of volunteer leaders on the White House South Lawn and renews his Call to Service; both Presidential nominees pledge support for national service and volunteering in a televised candidates forum; our pro-bono initiative, A Billion + Change, exceeds $400 million in corporate pledges; Senators Kennedy and Hatch introduce the ambitious Serve America legislation with bi-partisan co-sponsorship; the ServiceNation Summit in New York brings unprecedented numbers of national leaders and celebrities together in support of service; the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation exceeds one million recipients of the President’s Volunteer Service Awards; the State of New York follows California in elevating its State Service Commission to Cabinet-level status – and at the same time AmeriCorps members and other national service programs and participants respond heroically to Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.
Can anyone imagine a more auspicious time for the Corporation for National and Community Service, as well as AmeriCorps, to prepare to celebrate their 15th Anniversary? That’s right – 2009 will represent the 15th birthday year for the Corporation, which began operating in 1994, based on legislation passed in 1993. At Tuesday’s meeting, the Corporation’s Board of Directors approved a resolution celebrating the milestone.
At the Board meeting, I announced my timetable for departure during the transition. I plan to leave the Corporation in November following the Presidential election. My exceptional Chief of Staff Nicky Goren will step into the role of Acting CEO, with the strong support and confidence of the Board. As an 11-year veteran with the Corporation, Nicky has the experience, judgment, and ability to ensure that we extend the gains we’ve made and bridge the organization as it prepares for a new CEO to be appointed in the next administration. I couldn’t be more happy, proud, or confident in this decision.
So, yes, I’m overwhelmed – with gratitude for the opportunity I’ve had to serve alongside you for nearly five years, with awe for the opportunities that lay immediately before the service and volunteering sector, with pride for the accomplishments we’ve had together that have contributed to this momentum, and with excitement about the changes that are coming and the possibilities they will soon enough reveal.
We have a lot to do in the coming months, and this will be a sprint to the finish. But I wanted to share some of what I’m thinking about, and it all boils down to “thank you.”
Here are links for the President’s speech, the First Lady’s speech, the President’s 9/11 video, ServiceNation, A Billion +Change, the Board Resolution on the Corporation’s 15th Anniversary, and a summary of the Serve America Act.
In service,
David Eisner
CEO, Corporation for National and Community Service
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