Dear Colleagues,

The 2008 AmeriCorps Grantees Meeting, held in conjunction with the National Conference on Volunteering and Service, will be held June 1-3 in Atlanta, Georgia. Invoking the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., this year’s conference theme is “The Urgency of Now.” The theme both reflects back on the roots of modern civic engagement inspired by Dr. King and the civil rights movement, and also serves as a clarion call for action among the current leaders of the volunteer and service sectors.

We are very excited about the conference as it will be unlike any of our past conferences. You will have an opportunity to really experience Atlanta as we will have special events and immersion learning sessions throughout the city.

AmeriCorps Grantee Meeting

While most of the workshop sessions and events you will attend are selections from the national conference program, there are designated meetings where you will have an opportunity to focus on AmeriCorps specific issues. Look for the following sessions when you register:

• Communicators Institute (Pre-Conference)
• A Town Hall Luncheon[i]
• Grantees Meeting[ii]
• Coffee with CNCS Leadership and Board Member[iii]
• A Policy Update

Conference Registration and Lodging

The National Conference website and registration will be launched the week of March 10th. Conference and hotel registration must be done online at http://www.volunteeringandservice.org/. You will be able to select your conference workshop schedule when you register for the conference.

If you register before April 30, the total fee for AmeriCorps Grantees is $350. After April 30, the registration fee goes up to $450. Unfortunately, the Corporation will not be able to pay for your registration fee this year, however, National Conference expenses are an allowable grant process.

Hotel reservations must be made through the National Conference website. The hotels will not accept phone reservations. All room reservations are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.

If you have any questions, please contact Jolene Harrell at jharrell@cns.gov.

This promises to be a great meeting and conference. See the attached newsletter for additional details and be on the look out for future newsletters in the coming months. We look forward to see you in Atlanta!

Conference Tribune (509 KB PDF)

[i] This event is for State Commission Staff, Commissioners, and National Grantees Program Staff only. Sub-grantees should not attend.

[ii] There will be two separate Grantee Meetings for State Commissions and National Grantees. Sub-grantees should not attend.

[iii] This session is only for the State Commission Executive Directors and National Program Directors.