If you've never heard of this organization, by now you might be wondering what AmeriCorps is and why you should care? At its core, AmeriCorps is a volunteer program that allows members to grow professionally while also serving under-represented and underserved communities. They have a small monthly stipend to help with food and basic needs, their time is devoted whole-heartedly in the communities they serve. The program I was in was purposed for 18 to 24-year-olds. The only real requirement was a true passion for helping others. This brought together so many different kinds of strangers, strangers who through working together would learn to become kinder, more caring and more patient towards others.
In AmeriCorp NCCC, I spent around 9 months volunteering up and down the east coast with a team of 10 people from all kind of backgrounds. All of the non-profits we assisted did not have the funds to fulfill their missions. In Baltimore, I will always remember the woman who lived with her 5 children in a tiny row home, so glad to be receiving a new smoke detector. The old woman who did not have the means to put new insulation in her home, who was able to receive help from our AmeriCorps team. The Red Cross worker in New Jersey who got to have relief from her shift because our team was there to help in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. In upstate New York, the man who ran a food pantry to give food to his community members after they suffered losses from hurricane floods. Without AmeriCorps NCCC, non-profits might never receive the necessary support because of the lack of funding. Without AmeriCorps, I would have never seen how resilient people are and would never be able to comprehend how much volunteering has an impact on our world.
One of the past arguments that Congress has used to justify the cut is that local communities benefit more from the nation as a whole, therefore the states should decide how to fund these programs. The proposal by the Center for National service justification for congressional budget identifies just how crucial government oversight is. The oversight that comes from the Office of the Inspector General helps to identify things such as fraud and waste from grants meant to help the communities served. Additionally, federal oversight helps to keep AmeriCorps be able to cooperate with multiple state and federal organizations, such as FEMA and the American Red Cross.
Without the proper funding, stories like mine fade away. Volunteer service has long been an important factor in changing communities and lives. I invite you to peruse through my blog. Start from the very beginning, and then imagine that these communities never received the help of a 10-person team. I urge you to contact your local congressional representative or voice your support on social media #SaveAmericorps, make yourself heard and we become a force to be reckoned with. Year after year federal funds for AmeriCorps are proposed to be eliminated. It is the force of passionate, caring and kind people like you who have continued to help AmeriCorps thrive.
Some Helpful links:
2020 CNCS Budget Justification: https://www.nationalservice.gov/sites/default/files/documents/CNCSFY2020CBJ-FinalwupdatedOIG508compliant.pdf
AmeriCorps: https://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps
Contact your Local Representative: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials
A news article I was quoted in while assisting demolishing homes made unliveable because of floods from Hurricane Irene in Upstate New York: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials
Pictured: Service in Action!
