At the end of December, we like to look back over the last 12 months to get  some perspective on the last year in national service. Take a few minutes and join us as we remember 2018 at the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Barbara Stewart Named CEO of CNCS

Barbara Stewart (pictured above) became the new CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) after her nomination by President Donald Trump and unanimous confirmation by the U.S. Senate on Feb. 7, 2018. With more than 25 years of experience in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors, Stewart hit the ground running at CNCS with her strong management skills, operations experience, and passion for service.

Elder Justice Initiative Enlists Senior Corps

Our nation’s seniors are targets for those who would prey on the vulnerabilities that often come with aging. To combat this problem, Senior Corps partnered with the Department of Justice to support the Elder Justice Initiative to prevent elder abuse. The initiative combines the use of federal resources, law enforcement, and state and local officials to protect seniors from financial, emotional, and physical threats to their well-being. You can learn more about how Senior Corps supports these issues at our Elder Justice resource portal.

National Service Recognition Day

This year, more than 5,200 leaders – including legislators from Congress and state houses, mayors and city leaders, county officials, and tribal leaders – recognized the contributions our 300,000 AmeriCorps members and Senior Corps volunteers during the fifth-annual National Service Recognition Day. The event drew the support of leaders representing 216 million Americans and has grown exponentially from its start in 2013.

National Service Responds to the Opioid Epidemic

CNCS continued its service in the battle to end the opioid epidemic by investing more than $14.9 million in opioid-related AmeriCorps and Senior Corps projects to address the problem in October. The federal investment supports 1,800 AmeriCorps members and Senior Corps volunteers in all 50 states. This invest builds upon other national service efforts in communities to end this crisis including Senior Corps support of Prescription Drug Take Back Day events. You can learn more about this initiative on our Response to the Opioid Epidemic portal and by watching this video.

AmeriCorps Alum Crowned Miss America 2019

AmeriCorps alumna Nia Imani Franklin was crowned Miss America 2019 in Atlantic City, N.J., in September. Franklin, who competed as Miss New York, received a master’s degree in composition from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts School of Music in 2017, and was awarded a Kenan Fellowship at Lincoln Center Education in New York. While pursuing her master’s degree, she was a member of ArtistCorps, an artist-driven AmeriCorps service program that places accomplished artists in public schools and community-based institutions to work with high-need students.

Volunteering in America Grows

More Americans than ever are volunteering, according to the 2018 Volunteering in America report. The CNCS study found that 77.34 million adults (30.3 percent) volunteered through an organization last year. Altogether, Americans volunteered nearly 6.9 billion hours, worth an estimated $167 billion in economic value, based on the Independent Sector’s estimate of the average value of a volunteer hour for 2017. Millions more are supporting friends and family (43.1 percent) and doing favors for their neighbors (51.4 percent), suggesting that many are engaged in acts of “informal volunteering.” Learn more at our Volunteering in America portal.

Disaster Response

One of the most visible initiatives of national service continues to be our AmeriCorps members and Senior Corps volunteers who respond to natural and manmade disasters. This year wildfires, hurricanes, volcano eruptions, floods, tornadoes, and other disaster events affected communities around the nation. Our national service volunteers provided valuable assistance to disaster survivors in their greatest time of need. And as always, our volunteers continue to serve during the recovery phase, which can last for years after the initial event.

Remembering the Champions of Service and Volunteering We Lost in 2018

This year the national service family lost three great leaders and advocates: U.S. Sen. John McCain, former First Lady Barbara Bush, and President George H.W. Bush. Sen. McCain was one of national service’s strongest supporters on Capitol Hill and recognized the need to provide additional avenues for service outside of the military. Barbara Bush was a tremendous advocate for volunteering and literacy, and supported AmeriCorps and Senior Corps programs. President George H.W. Bush is remembered for his role in establishing the modern national service movement and encouraging volunteering and good deeds through the Points of Light Foundation. These three great Americans will be missed as they set high standards that few will meet and examples we all would be proud to follow.

Transformation and Sustainability Plan

CNCS has embarked on an effort to establish a sound footing for the future of the agency and our AmeriCorps and Senior Corps programs guided by the Transformation and Sustainability Plan. This effort is designed to increase efficiency, provide greater accountability, and improve customer service. You can learn more about the plan here.

New PSA Focuses on AmeriCorps Recruitment

This fall we debuted a new “Join AmeriCorps” PSA at the AmeriCorps Symposium that is being used to raise awareness of the program and boost recruitment. The video shows the diversity of AmeriCorps programs and the many ways our members serve communities across the nation.