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              Remembering Our Beginnings: A Thank You Letter
      Submitted by 
dsong
 on 
Tue, 09/12/2023 - 09:40Sep 12, 2023
        AmeriCorps Staff
  

                    Dear AmeriCorps members, AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers, alumni, grantees, and partners,

As we gear up to celebrate AmeriCorps’ 30th anniversary on September 21, we are coming across another important milestone: the 29th anniversary of the first class of AmeriCorps members. When 20,000 Americans first took the AmeriCorps pledge on Sept. 12, 1994, they set off a spark – marking not a moment in time, but a movement that would span generations. Today, more than 1.25 million alumni have followed in their footsteps, and they are echoed by millions more AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers.

And this year, we want to celebrate you.

We want to celebrate the AmeriCorps members who continue to answer the call to respond to disasters, from Hurricane Katrina to the attacks on September 11th, and ongoing threats from climate change. Like America’s young adults serving in AmeriCorps NCCC who have assisted more than 20.6 million people in disaster areas and protected more than 1.6 million acres of land through firefighting and fire management since 2000.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and students scrambled to continue their studies, our AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers were a pillar of support. These older adults quickly learned new digital skills to continue tutoring and mentoring our students virtually.

You have been there with us every step of the way, helping AmeriCorps evolve and transform lives. Like AmeriCorps alumna Shani who was an incarcerated youth but leveraged her struggles to help youth with difficult life experiences create a better path through service.

While some of our programs predate the agency itself, like Foster Grandparents, RSVP, and VISTA, we celebrate AmeriCorps’ 30th anniversary in September 2023 to mark the signing of the legislation that established our agency. This anniversary celebration is about honoring our roots. It’s also celebrating the work you are doing, each and every day, to build a strong present and the future for the agency.

Your dedication and commitment to service is the lifeblood of our schools and shelters, hospitals and hotlines, and civic, nonprofit, and faith-based organizations across the country. Thank you for your service, for recruiting others to serve, and for creating service experiences that transform lives.

Join us as we celebrate 30 years of AmeriCorps from September 2023 until September 2024. We hope you make a plan to honor AmeriCorps’ milestone moments – and your organizations’ moments too! – as we demonstrate the strength of the national service movement in our country. Share your story, your success, and the path AmeriCorps helped you pave.

Join our celebratory #AmeriCorps30 Social Media Storm on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023.

We look forward to continuing our commitment to service and proving that AmeriCorps is not just a moment in our history but a movement to bring out the best of America.

Sincerely, 
AmeriCorps
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