Read about the history of national service—from the creation of the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1933 to the launch of FEMA Corps in 2012. This timeline provides a quick glance at key dates and milestones during the past century.

1933
Franklin D. Roosevelt creates the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), providing opportunities for millions of young men to serve six to 18 months to help restore the nation's parks, revitalize the economy, and support their families and themselves.

1944
The GI Bill, officially known as the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, is created, linking service and education and offering Americans educational opportunity in return for service to their country.

1960s
Demonstration projects for the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), the Foster Grandparent Program, and the Senior Companion Program (which together are known today as Senior Corps) are launched to demonstrate the effectiveness of the service model and to engage older Americans in a range of service activities.

1961
President John F. Kennedy proposes establishment of the Peace Corps and Congress authorizes it on September 22, 1961. President Kennedy states, "The wisdom of this idea is that someday we'll bring it home to America."

1964
As part of the "War on Poverty," President Lyndon B. Johnson creates VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America), a National Teacher Corps, the Job Corps, and University Year of Action.

1965
The Older Americans Act of 1965 is passed (an outcome of the 1961 White House Conference on Aging). The Act sparked interest in creating programs for older adults and insuring their continued contribution to society.

1969
Retired Senior Volunteer Program was authorized under Title VI of the Older Americans Act.

1970s
In 1970, the Youth Conservation Corps engages 38,000 people ages 14 to 18 in summer environmental programs.

VISTA merges with the Peace Corps and senior service programs to form the ACTION agency.

1971
The White House Conference on Youth Report calls for linking service and learning. The National Center for Public Service Internships, the Society for Field Experience Education, and the National Student Volunteer Program are established.

1973
The Foster Grandparent Program, the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, and the Senior Companion Program are authorized under the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973.

1976
California Governor Jerry Brown establishes the California Conservation Corps, the first non-federal youth corps at the state level.

1978
The Young Adult Conservation Corps creates small conservation corps in the states with 22,500 participants age 16 to 23.

1989-1990
President George H.W. Bush creates the Office of National Service in the White House and the Points of Light Foundation to foster volunteering.

1990
President Bush signs the National and Community Service Act of 1990 into law. The legislation authorizes grants to schools to support service-learning through Serve America (later becoming Learn and Serve America) and demonstration grants for national service programs to youth corps, nonprofits, and colleges and universities.

1992
A bipartisan group of Senators drafts legislation to create the National Civilian Community Corps as a way to explore how to use post-Cold War military resources to help solve problems here at home.

September 1993
President Bill Clinton signs the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993, creating AmeriCorps and the Corporation for National and Community Service to expand opportunities for Americans to serve their communities. VISTA and the National Civilian Community Corps become part of AmeriCorps, and the Foster Grandparent Program, the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, and the Senior Companion Program are combined to create Senior Corps.

With passage of National and Community Service Act, Congress changes Retired Senior Volunteer Program to Retired “and” Senior Volunteer program to reflect that not all volunteers were retired.

Governor-appointed state service commissions are created to administer AmeriCorps funding at the state level.

1994
The Corporation for National and Community Service officially begins operation.
Congress passes the King Holiday and Service Act of 1994, charging the Corporation for National and Community Service with establishing Martin Luther King Day as a day of service.

Four National Civilian Community Corps campuses open in Aberdeen, MD; Charleston, SC; Denver, CO; and San Diego, CA.

April 1997
The Presidents' Summit for America's Future, chaired by General Colin Powell, brings together President Clinton, former Presidents Bush, Ford, and Carter, and Mrs. Reagan to encourage increased service and volunteerism to meet the needs of America's youth.

2001
President George W. Bush calls for a “nation of citizens, not spectators” in his inaugural address and launches faith-based and community initiative to expand support for grassroots organizations meeting local needs.

September 11, 2001
Terrorist attacks spark a surge of patriotism and volunteer service by Americans.

January 2002
In his 2002 State of the Union Address, President George W. Bush asks all Americans to devote two years or 4,000 hours to volunteer service during their lifetimes. As part of this call to service, he creates USA Freedom Corps, a White House office and coordinating council to encourage Americans to serve their communities and country. He also proposes to expand AmeriCorps by 50 percent.

July 2002
CNCS awards first Homeland Security grants to engage citizens in public health, public safety, and disaster relief and preparedness.

2003
President Bush creates the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation to find ways to recognize the valuable contributions volunteers are making in our Nation. The Council creates the President’s Volunteer Service Award program as a way to thank and honor Americans who, by their demonstrated commitment and example, inspire others to engage in volunteer service.

January 2004
AmeriCorps receives record funding increase to allow programs to grow to 75,000 members.

October 2006
CNCS launches President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll to honor the nation’s top colleges and universities for their commitment to community service, civic engagement, and service-learning.

May 2007
CNCS launches first annual AmeriCorps Week to encourage more Americans to serve and thank AmeriCorps members and alums for their service.

June 2008
The Summit on Corporate Volunteerism brings together top corporate, government, and nonprofit leaders to kick off Billion + Change, a multi-year campaign to dramatically increase the amount of skilled volunteering and pro bono service employees give to nonprofits and communities.

January 2009
Fueled by President-elect Obama’s call to service, the 2009 King Day of Service experienced a historic level of participation, with more than 13,000 projects across the country. One day later, President Obama calls on Americans to

February 2009
President Barack Obama signs the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, including $200 million in funding for CNCS to deploy an additional 15,0000 AmeriCorps members, provide match relief to grantees running these programs, and to improve CNCS’ Information Technology infrastructure.

April 2009
On April 21, 2009, President Barack Obama signed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, which reauthorizes and expands national service programs administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service.

June 2009
At the National Conference on Volunteering and Service in San Francisco, First Lady Michelle Obama launches United We Serve, is a call to action for all Americans to volunteer in their communities. CNCS, which leads United We Serve, launches the Serve.gov website including the most comprehensive volunteer search engine ever created.

September 2009
The first officially-designated September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance was marked by service projects in all 50 states, with tens of thousands of volunteers turning out to paint and refurbish homes, run food drives, spruce up schools, reclaim neighborhoods, and support and honor veterans and first responders.

December 2009
For fiscal year 2010, Congress appropriates a record $1,149,721,000 for CNCS, fully funding the President’s request at $260 million above the FY 2009 enacted level and supporting the program expansions authorized in the Serve America Act.

February 2010
CNCS launches the Social Innovation Fund, a new program authorized by the Serve America Act to help ensure that high-impact nonprofits are able to attract the public and private resources they need to grow and improve the economic, education and health prospects of low-income communities.

June 2010
CNCS, the Department of Education, and First Lady Michelle Obama launch Let’s Read. Let’s Move., a summer initiative to get more Americans volunteering to help combat childhood obesity and summer learning loss by engaging youth in summer reading and physical activity as well as providing access to healthy, affordable foods

December 2010
President Obama the White House Council for Community Solutions to focus on ensuring adolescents and young adults are prepared to live productive and prosperous lives. The Council is administered by CNCS.

February 2011
CNCS adopts a five-year Strategic Plan after a year-long planning and input process. The plan details on the specific objectives, strategies and Performance Measures which determine how CNCS will evaluate success over the next five years.

March 2012
CNCS and FEMA announce FEMA Corps, an innovative new partnership designed to strengthen the nation's ability to respond to and recover from disasters while expanding career opportunities for young people. FEMA Corps will create a new 1,600 member unit of AmeriCorps NCCC whose members will be devoted solely to FEMA disaster response, and recovery efforts.