Do you know a current or former member who
exemplifies the purpose and meaning of AmeriCorps?

Share their Stories and the Spirit of Service.

AmeriCorps and the Corporation for National and Community Service are committed to recognizing and celebrating outstanding service by their members and alumni. The Spirit of Service Awards pay tribute to the most outstanding participants in each of the Corporation’s programs, which also include Senior Corps and Learn and Serve America.

The awards will be presented to the winners during special ceremonies at the 2009 National Conference on Volunteering and Service, June 22-24 in San Francisco, CA. Nominations are currently being sought. Nominees must exemplify the spirit of national service, demonstrate exceptional service or leadership, and serve as role models for others in their community.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

Four award recipients will be selected among AmeriCorps nominees. One winner will be selected from each of the following categories:

• an AmeriCorps member including State, National, Tribes, Territories, Education Award programs, AmeriCorps Promise Fellows, Professional Corps, and Homeland Security programs;
• an AmeriCorps NCCC member;
• an AmeriCorps VISTA member; and
• an AmeriCorps alum.

Members may be nominated under only one category within AmeriCorps. Members who have completed service in an AmeriCorps program before September 30, 2008, should be nominated under the "Alumni" category. All members completing service after that date or currently serving should be nominated under one of the other appropriate categories.

Click here to read about the 2008 Spirit of Service Award winners.

NOMINATION PROCESS

Nominations may be made by any person affiliated with an AmeriCorps grantee or sponsoring organization such as fellow members, team leaders, project directors, or organization staff; any state commission staff member; or any Corporation staff member. Self-nominations also are permitted.

All nominations must include a narrative in support of the nomination (see guidelines below) and:

• Nominee's name, address, telephone number, fax, e-mail address, and dates of service;
• Nominator's name and title, organization name, address, telephone, fax, and e-mail address; and
• Please indicate that your nomination is for the AmeriCorps Spirit of Service Award, and which program (i.e. NCCC, VISTA, Alumni, etc).

Incomplete nomination submissions will be disqualified.

There are three easy ways to submit a nomination;

1. Fill out an online nomination form
2. Send by e-mail to spiritofserviceawards@cns.gov
3. Fax to 202-606-3460

Click here to download a PDF of the nomination instructions.

You may submit as many nominations as you like, but each nomination must be submitted separately. If you have questions, please call 202-606-6717. The nomination deadline is Monday, March 30, 2009, at 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time.  Nominations received after this date may not be considered.

NARRATIVE GUIDELINES

The narrative should address how the nominee exemplifies the spirit of service by addressing the following questions (in 250 words of less for each):

1. Tell us about the person you are nominating.  Where is this person serving currently?  What are this person's service responsibilities?  When did he or she start serving?  What qualities set this person apart from other individuals who serve in your program?
2. Tell us about the leadership qualities of the person you are nominating.  How has this person inspired others and encouraged others to serve?  Has he or she taken on particular leadership roles in your organization or in the community that set them apart?  If so, please describe these roles.
3. Provide some examples of tangible outcomes the person you are nominating has achieved.  For instance, discuss problems solved, measurable changes (like test scores, truancy rates, changes in rates of infection, mentoring matches, etc.), dollars saved effective leveraging of volunteers and resources, or number of people served.  Please be as specific as possible and identify some examples of the impact the individual has made.
4. Tell us about the extraordinary efforts made by the person you are nominating.  Has this person had to overcome any personal challenges?  Has this person's service changed your programming, capacity for service delivery, or sustainability in any way?  What makes this person's efforts stand out from others?

REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS

Nominations will be reviewed by a committee of AmeriCorps staff members at the Corporation and representatives of the AmeriCorps service community. The committee will make its recommendations to the executive staff of the Corporation. Final selections will be determined by the executive staff of the Corporation. All decisions about award recipients are final.

If a nominee is selected, the nominee and nominator will be contacted by telephone. Award recipients will be invited to travel as a guest of the Corporation for National and Community Service where they will be recognized during special ceremonies at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service.

Nominators will be notified of the status of their nominations once the selection process is completed. The list of all award recipients will be posted on the http://www.nationalservice.gov website. Information submitted becomes the property of the Corporation for National and Community Service and will not be returned to the nominator.