Next week, CNCS is headed to Chicago for the National Conference on Volunteering and Service. There, over 1000 members of the national service family will join the more than 4000 conference attendees for three days of service-focused conversations, lessons, and sessions.

As always, we anticipate that those representing national service will bring their best stuff – the greatest ideas, strategies, and tactics to share with one another to mobilize volunteers to address some of our nation's most critical issues.

The Corporation for National and Community Service will host the National Service Town Hall at 1:00 p.m. There, we will honor the National Service Impact Awardees and hear from leaders who know first-hand about changing outcomes in Disaster Services, Education and Veterans and Military Families using service as a key strategy. CEO Wendy Spencer will also share her thoughts on the future of national service and community volunteering.

In addition to the Town Hall, please find a complete list below on where to find National Service at the conference. You can also follow @WendyCNCS and @NationalService to get real-time updates on conference happenings.

CNCS Sponsored Sessions include:

Sunday

• Maximize Disability Inclusion in Your State (2936) at 8:00 a.m.
• MLK Day and 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance Grantee and Partner Meeting (2980) at 10:00 a.m.
• Measuring Your Performance (2964) at 12:00 p.m.

Monday

• RSVP Competition: Strengthening the Program for Greater Impact (3149) at 10:00 a.m.
• National Service Town Hall (3139) at 1:00 p.m.
• Community Blueprint Network: Organizing Community to Support Veterans, Service Members and Families (2955) at 1:00 p.m.
• Do Users Really Generate Content? Tips & Tools for Engaging Online Communities (2697) at 1:00 p.m.
• Grants Management 101 (2652) at 1:00 p.m.
• Maximize the Potential of Every Volunteer: Universal Design & Volunteer Management (2563) at 1:00 p.m.

Tuesday

• CNCS Listening Session on TTA and Disability Inclusion Programing (3336) at 8:30 a.m.
• MLK Day of Service: What Can be Done in a Day (2712) at 8:30 a.m.
• National Service Criminal History Checks - Basic (2674) at 8:30 a.m.
• Data Collection and Aggregation for CNCS Agency-wide Priority Performance Measures (2641) at 10:30 a.m.
• RSVP Competition: Strengthening the Program for Greater Impact (2953) at 10:30 a.m.
• AmeriCorps State & National Town Hall (3217) at 2:30 p.m.
• Better Together: Successful Cross-Sector Collaboration Between National Service Programs (3020) at 2:30 p.m.
• Faith and Neighborhoods in Action: Addressing Problems with Tangible Solutions (2758) at 2:30 p.m.
• National Service Criminal History Checks - Advanced (2650) at 2:30 p.m.

Other Sessions of Potential Interest:

• AmeriCorps Alums Pre-conference Session (3002) Sunday, June 17 at 2:00 p.m.
• Leveraging AmeriCorps Members to Engage and Support Urban Student Success (2711) Monday, June 18 at 1:00 p.m.
• Building Inclusive National Service Programs: Case Studies of Public Allies, City Year and AmeriCorps Project YES! (2362) Monday, June 18 at 1:00 p.m.
• Wide Open Spaces: Multi-site AmeriCorps Program Management (3021) Tuesday, June 19 at 8:30 a.m.
• The Secret to Successful Programs to Strengthen Military Families (2609) Tuesday, June 19 at 10:30 a.m.
• AmeriCorps Alums Town Hall (2944) Tuesday, June 19 at 12:30 p.m.
• Service-Learning: Collaboration Style (2743) Tuesday, June 19 at 2:30 p.m.

On Monday, I joined the Corporation for National and Community Service as CEO. It’s been a great first week on the job.
 

Today, Wendy Spencer begins her first day as new Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service. While you'll hear more from Wendy in the coming weeks, we wanted to help you get to know her a bit better. Learn more about Wendy and the service experiences that shaped her life with this video below.
 

In this video, Wofford talks about his memory of Dr. Martin Luther King and the origin of MLK Day.
 

Last week the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) convened more than 200 leaders in the disability and service communities at the 2011 Symposium on Service and Inclusion. Our goal: to discuss strategies to recruit, engage, and support more people with disabilities in national service.
 

Supporting our nation's troops, veterans, and military families is critical to our national security and to strengthening our communities. It is also a top priority for of Corporation for National and Community Service, stemming from the bipartisan Serve America Act.
 

Veterans Day is a time to reflect on the tremendous sacrifices that military service members and families have made while protecting our nation.
 

Every day, volunteers are giving their time and talents to help better their community and their country. Last week, we released our annual Volunteering in America report -- data critical for understanding volunteer trends and demographics, including who is serving, where they are serving and where community needs still exist. This data is vital for elected officials and nonprofit leaders as they develop strategies to mobilize more Americans to address local needs through service.
 

A few weeks ago, the Corporation for National and Community Service joined First Lady Michelle Obama, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Members of Congress and their spouses for a day filled with strenuous and physically hard, yet rewarding work.
 

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. devoted his life to advancing equality, social justice, and opportunity for all. He challenged us to build a more perfect union, and taught us that everyone has a role to play in making America what it ought to be.