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News Articles
Disney Minnie Grants for Global Youth: Service Day 2008
SUMMARY: The Walt Disney Company and Youth
Service America are excited to announce grants of up to
$500 to support youth-led service projects. These grants
support youth (ages 5-14) in planning and implementing
service projects in their community. Teachers, older
youth (15-25), and youth-serving organizations are also
eligible to apply, if they engage younger youth (5-14) in
planning and implementing the project. A significant part
of the service must take place on GYSD 2008, April 25-27. We encourage youth to address important issues such as climate change, malaria or other diseases, human rights, literacy, or others.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS: Applications are
welcome from all countries. While grant information will
be available in: Español (Spanish), Français (French),
Russian, Chinese, and Hindi, applications will be
accepted in English only (an online translation tool is
available at the YSA website). Applicants from China,
India, and Russia are especially encouraged to apply. Past
Disney Minnie Grantees are also eligible to apply.
DUE DATE: January 21, 2008
AWARD AMOUNT: Up to $500
INFORMATION: E-mail: MinnieGrant@ysa.org
For more information click here.
National Endowment for the Humanities -
- We the People Bookshelf Program
SUMMARY: The We the People Bookshelf is a set of
classic books for young readers from kindergarten
through high school. Each year, the National Endowment
for the Humanities identifies a theme important to the
nation's heritage and selects books that embody that
theme. This collection of theme-related books is the
bookshelf. In addition to introducing young readers to
good literature, the bookshelf promotes understanding of
abstract or general ideas through the power of particular
stories. This year's theme is "Created Equal."
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS: Any U.S. public
library or K-12 school library in the United States and its
territories. School libraries include public, private,
parochial, and charter schools. Libraries with collections
that circulate to the general public and offer readingbased
programs for the general public are eligible to
apply. A library system or school district may apply on
behalf of its member schools or branches.
DUE DATE: January 25, 2008
AWARD AMOUNT: The program will award 3,000
libraries a set of classic books.
INFORMATION: Tel: (800) 545-2433, ext. 5045
E-mail: publicprograms@ala.org
For more information click here.
Action For Nature's International Young
Eco-Hero Awards
SUMMARY: Action For Nature, a nonprofit organization that
encourages young people around the world to carry out individual
environmental action projects, presents the International
Young Eco-Hero Awards to recognize the individual
accomplishments of young people (ages 8-16) whose personal
actions have significantly improved the environment. Action
For Nature will award cash prizes of up to $500 each to young
Eco-Heroes for their outstanding accomplishments in
environmental advocacy, environmental health, research, or
protection of the natural world.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS: The applications will be
judged according to several criteria, including but not limited
to originality, difficulty, organization, length of time devoted to
the project, influencing/educating others, use of outside
resources (e.g., library, experts, media, community leaders), degree of success in reaching goals, and the impact on the environment.
DUE DATE: February 28, 2008
AWARD AMOUNT: Up to $500.
For more information click here.
THE CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR SOCIETY ANNOUNCES
ABOVE & BEYOND
SPOKESMAN COLIN POWELL, CO-CHAIRS & FORMER PRESIDENTS
GEORGE H.W. BUSH AND WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON,
MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS,
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS & JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF CALL UPON AMERICAN PUBLIC TO CELEBRATE “SERVICE BEFORE SELF” AND NOMINATE FELLOW CITIZENS FOR NATION’S
MOST PRESTIGIOUS CIVILIAN AWARDS “ABOVE & BEYOND CITIZEN HONORS” PRESENTED ON NATIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR DAY, MARCH 25, 2008
FROM CONSTITUTIONAL HALL IN TELEVISED PRIME-TIME SPECIAL.
Nominations for the Above & Beyond Citizen Honors can be submitted by filling out an online nomination form at www.aboveandbeyond365.com. All nominations must be received by December 16th, 2007, in order to be considered.
"Any nation that does not honor its heroes, will not long endure.”
-Abraham Lincoln
The Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network and The Walt Disney Company proudly present Family Volunteer Day. This annual day of service, held on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, is designed to demonstrate the power of families who choose to volunteer together to support the communities in which they live and serve. Volunteering as a family provides quality time for busy families, strengthens communication and bonds and positively impacts local communities across the nation. For more information click here.
$900,000 in Grant Funds Available for Summer of Service Activities by Middle Schoolers
The Corporation for National and Community Service will make available
up to $900,000 to organizations that offer positive, safe, and
constructive summer service activities to middle school age youth in the
summer of 2008. The grant program builds on the success of the 2007
Summer of Service, which engaged thousands of young people from
disadvantaged backgrounds in service and other positive activities last
summer. The participants will be middle school youth (typically 10 to
14 years old) from disadvantaged circumstances in urban and rural areas.
The grants will stimulate new or expanded summer service-learning
opportunities for middle school youth. Details on the grant competition
are available by clicking the "Summer of Service" link posted at
www.nationalservice.gov.
Grant Funds Available: $900,000
Who Can Apply: National, state, and multi-state
organizations that are experienced in working with and planning
activities for middle school age youth, particularly youth from
disadvantaged circumstances
Purpose of Awards: To engage middle school age youth from
disadvantaged circumstances in service-learning activities during the
summer months
Grant Size: Approximately $100,000 to $200,000 each
Deadline: October 10, 2007, at
5:00 P.M. EDT
More Information: E-mail summerofservice@cns.gov; call
202-606-7506; or go to the "Summer of Service" Click here.
The Corporation for National and Community Service improves lives,
strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service
and volunteering. Each year, the Corporation provides opportunities for
more than 2 million Americans of all ages and backgrounds to serve their
communities and country through Senior Corps, AmeriCorps and Learn and
Serve America.
Special Report in Time Magazine
A Time To Serve
In a changing society facing all manner of new challenges, volunteers are helping bind America together. Why the U.S. and the next President should make a new commitment to national service. The article will appear in Time Magazine on September 10, 2007.
READ MORE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, September 11, 2007 |
CONTACT: Sandy Scott
Phone: 202-606-6724
Email: sscott@cns.gov |
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President Encourages Americans to Honor 9/11 by Volunteering |
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Washington, D.C. – On the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, President Bush is encouraging Americans to observe the anniversary through prayers and personal remembrances as well as acts of voluntary and charitable service.
In his 2007 Patriot Day Proclamation, the President stated that, “The spirit of our people is the source of America's strength, and six years ago, Americans came to the aid of neighbors in need. On Patriot Day, we pray for those who died and for their families. We volunteer to help others and demonstrate the continuing compassion of our citizens. On this solemn occasion, we rededicate ourselves to laying the foundation of peace with confidence in our mission and our free way of life.”
Members of the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation – which was established by President Bush in 2003 to recognize, reward, and inspire volunteer service in America – will observe 9/11 by joining hundreds of thousands of individuals in pledging good deeds for the coming year.
According to Jean Case, chair of the President’s Council: “We hope that together we can lay the foundation so that generation’s to come will reflect on the events of September 11, not only as a day of tragedy, but as one of national compassion, patriotism and unity.”
President’s Council members will observe 9/11 in the following capacities:
- Tony Dungy, head coach of the 2007 Super Bowl winners the Indianapolis Colts, will donate tickets for volunteer mentors and their youth mentees to attend home games throughout the season. “It has been rewarding to allow adults to take kids to our games who otherwise may never get to go,” Dungy said. “It's an easy way for us to support the volunteers in these types of groups and let them know we care about their efforts.”
- NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne pledges to invite a group of school children to tour his garage and learn more about the sport and the behind-the-scenes preparation, commitment, and teamwork required to succeed.
- Entertainer Art Linkletter will speak to senior citizens throughout the country about the importance of volunteering when it comes to living old age to the fullest. Linkletter’s own volunteer efforts include serving as chairman of the boards of the UCLA Center on Aging and the John Douglas French Alzheimer's Foundation.
- Wendy Spencer, CEO of Volunteer Florida, and the Mayor of Tallahassee, John Marks, will provide lunch to the firemen of Tallahassee Fire Station Number 3, to thank them for their service to the community. Former First Lady of Ohio Hope Taft will deliver cookies to her local fire station in Ohio and thank the local first responders for always being there.
- This week Mark Yudof, chancellor of the University of Texas System, will launch Lend A Hand, which supports the annual Texas State Employees Charitable Campaign (SECC). This campaign encourages U.T. employees to give back to the community through financial support. The chancellor will also spend time reading with the students at the U.T. Elementary School, the system’s charter school for children from less affluent families.
To find a volunteer opportunity or way to give back throughout the year, visit http://www.volunteer.gov. To pledge a good deed or read about how others are commemorating September 11th through volunteer service, visit http://www.mygooddeed.org. MyGoodDeed is the national initiative encouraging individuals and organizations to perform good deeds and other forms of charitable service as a long-term way to honor the victims, survivors, volunteers and rescue and recovery workers of 9/11.
The 25-member President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation was given a charge by President Bush to promote an ethic of service and to recognize the millions of Americans who are giving back to their communities through generous acts of service. Administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, together with the USA Freedom Corps, the Council brings together leaders from the worlds of business, entertainment, sports, education, government, nonprofits, and the media to promote their efforts. To learn more about the Council and its members, please visit http://www.volunteer.gov. To learn more about the President’s Volunteer Service Award Program, administered by the Points of Light Foundation and Volunteer Center National Network please visit, http://www.presidentialserviceawards.gov. |
AmeriCorps Volunteers help meet the community needs
Through their AmeriCorps pledges, many Boise servants are utilizing the skills, information and contacts they've gained as a way to volunteer and benefit causes close to their hearts — causes like tutoring and mentoring Treasure Valley youth.
AmeriCorps member Kelsey Edwards, 21, Boise, tutors kids in kindergarten through third-grades, along with fifth-graders, at Whittier Elementary.
"I want to be a teacher in the future, and I knew that AmeriCorps would be a great way to help me reach that goal," Edwards said.
AmeriCorps is a network of local, state and national service programs that connects more than 70,000 volunteers a year nation-wide to opportunities to serve in education, public safety, health and environmental areas in critical need of support.
Broadening cultural awareness
Posted: Monday, Jan 15, 2007 - 11:00:03 pm PST
By LUCY DUKES
Staff writer
AmeriCorps fair aims to further goals of understanding, equality
COEUR d'ALENE -- Nine-year-old Juanita Hughes liked arts and crafts best at the AmeriCorps Cultural Arts Fair on Monday.
"I made maracas. I picked a crayon that was the same color as me," she said.
She also made a rain stick and later sat down in the room at the Harding Family Center for the event dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr.
It's important to remember King, she said, "because he made white and black people come together and be nice, so they'll go to the same school and be friends," she said.
She was one of seven African-American children who mothers Angela and Bernadette Hughes took to the fair.
"We feel we are the population of African Americans right now," Angela Hughes said.
"We have to self-teach about their heritage, their background."
The Lewis-Clark Service Corps put on the event, selecting Martin Luther King Jr. Day because it is one of three main service days in the year and because "it ties into the Martin Luther King Jr. dream of everyone getting along," said Lindsay Hutson, a Lewis-Clark Service Corps member.
"Basically, we would like to broaden the cultural awareness in this area," Hutson said.
"I think it's hard to all get along if you don't understand where everybody's coming from."
In the Martin Luther King Jr. room, books about King and books celebrating multiculturalism covered three tables. On the television, a video played with scenes of civil rights demonstrations, King speaking, King in jail and other scenes of the civil rights struggle.
Quotes from King were taped to the board in another corner of the room.
"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish as fools."
And "Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night devoid of stars ... Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."
In the library, children made fiesta bookmarks or listened to stories. The game room contained games from around the world -- like Nine Men's Morris from Egypt, a game of placing pieces on strategic corners of a board.
In the music room, children made rain sticks out of paper towel tubes and decorated them with streamers, feathers and paper.
Volunteer Tammy Marshall waited for children with mask-making materials in another room.
"Every culture has a different mask, and so we thought we'd let kids be able to design their own mask for themselves," she said.
And in the gym, adults and children watched a hula.
Robin Scardina enjoyed the multicultural entertainment with her 18-month-old granddaughter.
"I had heard about it, I had my granddaughter and I thought it would be fun to see what the Harding Center was doing," she said, adding that she loved the idea of inclusivity.
It's important, she said, "because we're all one. We have to live on the planet together. We need to live harmoniously together."
"Serve to remember. Remember to Serve".
August 23, 2006
The anniversaries of Katrina and 9/11so close together provide a unique opportunity to shine the spotlight on Americans’ willingness to volunteer immediately after these disasters and encourage them to give again, whether by volunteering in the Gulf or in their own communities.
To that end, from now through September 11th, based on this there is a series of activities under the theme, “Serve to Remember. Remember to Serve.” We encourage you to join in this national call to service by finding ways to tie planned activities and events to this theme. Visit http://www.nationalservice.gov/pdf/katrina_project_toolkit.pdf to access the “Serve to Remember” toolkit, which contains a variety of tips, ideas, and templates to help you generate awareness and media interest at the state and local level.
Below is a list of the activities taking place at the national level:
• Gulf Coast Tour, August 28-30: Members of the Corporation’s Board of Directors, along with members of the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation, will tour a series of national service projects in Louisiana and Mississippi to gain a better understanding of our programs’ unique role and impact, and the continued need for volunteers in the region.
• National Service Anniversary Report: On Monday, August 28, the Corporation will release its one-year report on the contributions of national service programs to relief and recovery efforts. To date, more than 36,000 national service participants have contributed more than 1.6 million hours of service to relief and recovery efforts, and leveraged an additional 92,000 community volunteers.
• Media Outreach: The Office of Public Affairs is reaching out to national print and broadcast media to help ensure that the “volunteer story” is told within the media coverage of these two anniversaries. To help garner coverage, we are promoting the following:
• Service Projects - Through our earlier request for information, we have identified nearly 100 service projects or commemorative events that you have planned around the Katrina or 9/11 anniversary. We have been promoting these events through media advisories as part of a nationwide serve-a-thon that pays tribute to the compassionate response that took place in the wake of both Katrina and 9/11. You can promote your local service project as part of this national effort.
• Research - Several pieces of research examine the effects disasters have on Americans’ civic behaviors. A compendium of related research is included in the toolkit mentioned above.
• Compelling Stories of Service - Through your earlier submissions, we have been identifying unique perspectives and spokespeople to help demonstrate national services’ role in disaster response and community rebuilding. While we have identified several volunteer stories related to Katrina, we are still looking for stories related to 9/11. If you know of an individual who decided to volunteer or join a national service program as a result or 9/11, please send their name, contact information, and a brief description of their compelling story to smaynard@cns.gov.
If you have specific questions related to these “Serve to Remember” ideas, please feel free to contact one of the following Corporation staff:
• Siobhan Dugan at sdugan@cns.gov
• Sandy Scott at sscott@cns.gov
• Shannon Maynard at smaynard@cns.gov
Thank you again for your efforts in the response to these tragedies and the other challenges that your programs tackle everyday.
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