A Time for Service

When our economy is faltering, many people rely on the goodwill of friends and neighbors who volunteer time to help out in the community. But an economic downturn also means that budgets grow tighter for everyone – families, businesses and local governments alike. Often, one result is that community programs that provide volunteer opportunities suffer because these programs depend on funding from donations and tax dollars. This is particularly devastating in times like these when volunteerism is critical to keep communities afloat.

Last month, we took an important step to help foster community service across the nation. President Obama signed into law the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act to help engage people in service programs. The naming of this legislation is a fitting homage to a man devoted to public service.

Indeed, it was Senator Kennedy’s brother, President John F. Kennedy, who created the Peace Corps service program in 1961 to “promote world peace and friendship” through service projects in foreign countries. Nearly 200,000 Americans have volunteered through the Peace Corps since its inception.

The Kennedy Serve America Act brings that same spirit of service to bear right here in America. The legislation will triple the number of Americans who participate in the national service program AmeriCorps, which was modeled after the Peace Corps but with a focus on domestic projects. It establishes two new service learning programs: the Youth Engagement Zone Program to help low-income communities and the Campuses of Service program to help encourage service learning programs at colleges that can have a lasting impact on the surrounding communities.

In addition to AmeriCorps, the Kennedy Serve America Act creates specific service corps to address pressing national priorities. These include the Clean Energy Service Corps, the Education Corps, the Healthy Futures Corps, the Opportunity Corps and the Veterans Corps. These corps members will provide millions of hours of community service across the county, and they will recruit and oversee work carried out by millions of local volunteers.

Already, Michigan has 21 AmeriCorps programs, and last year over 1,000 Michigan AmeriCorps members provided in excess of 700,000 hours of service. These AmeriCorps members recruited 23,800 volunteers. Among many other activities, the volunteers provided disaster relief assistance and education, built low-income housing units, served as tutors to students in need, and acted as mentors to children. In 2007 alone, volunteers and AmeriCorps members worked to help over 120,000 Michigan residents.

Expanding these programs can have an enormously positive effect on the people of Michigan, and with people struggling to make ends meet in this challenging economic environment, a helping hand can make all the difference. The Kennedy Serve America Act will stimulate additional volunteer-driven activities that will benefit countless charities, nonprofit organizations and faith-based organizations as well.

President Kennedy famously told American citizens to “ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” The Kennedy Serve America Act will help more people serve their country at this time of great national need.