CaliforniaVolunteers
CaliforniaVolunteers is the state agency charged with increasing the number and impact of Californians engaged in service and volunteering. CaliforniaVolunteers administers the state AmeriCorps portfolio in California, Citizen Corps and the Cesar Chavez Day of Service and Learning, and is designated as the state agency in charge of managing volunteers in times of disaster. In addition, CaliforniaVolunteers developed and maintains the largest online statewide volunteer matching network in the nation on CaliforniaVolunteers.org, and guides policy development to support the nonprofit and service fields. CaliforniaVolunteers is overseen by a bipartisan 25-member commission appointed by the governor. The first lady  of California serves as the honorary chair of the commission. Programs. AmeriCorps in California. AmeriCorps is sometimes referred to as the “domestic Peace Corps.” Participants – known as AmeriCorps members – perform a year of service with a program that meets local community needs. AmeriCorps programs focus on the five issue areas of education, the environment, public safety, disaster preparedness and other human needs. In its role as the state service commission, CaliforniaVolunteers supported more than 5,500 AmeriCorps members in the 2006/07 program year via $32 million in grants to 60 programs statewide. Citizen Corps. California's Citizen Corps Program's  mission is to coordinate in-state volunteer activities to make communities better prepared to respond to any emergency situation. The program was established after the creation of the USA Freedom Corps by President George W. Bush. Existing disaster and public safety related volunteer programming was consolidated under the new Citizen Corps name. The program's mission is accomplished through a national network of state, local and tribal Citizen Corps Councils. Community Emergency Response Team (CERT): Medical Reserve Corps: Volunteers in Police Service: Fire Corps: USAonWatch: Cesar Chavez Day of Service and Learning. The Cesar Chavez Day holiday was established in  2000 in California by the passage of SB 984. CaliforniaVolunteers administers the Cesar Chavez Day of Service and Learning program which works to engage California's youth in service and civic participation while learning about Chavez’ life and legacy. In 2006/07 the Cesar Chavez Day program: California Volunteer Matching Network. CaliforniaVolunteers.org launched in September 2006, featuring the largest statewide online volunteer matching system in the nation. History. On September 21, 1993 President Bill Clinton signed the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993 (PL 103-82). This law merged two federal agencies, ACTION and the Commission on National and  Community Service, creating the new Corporation for National and Community Service. The Act also established AmeriCorps, a service program for Americans ages seventeen years and older. The Act required the governor of each state to create and appoint a commission to administer the AmeriCorps program. In 1994, Governor Pete Wilson created the state service commission originally known as the Commission on Improving Life Through Service through Executive Order W-77-94. The organization was renamed by Governor Gray Davis as the Governor's Office On Service and Volunteerism (GO SERV) in 2001. In August 2004, the organization was renamed the California  Service Corps. In April 2006, Governor Schwarzenegger signed Executive Order S-04-06, declaring the commission, in cooperation with the Health and Human Services Agency, the Office of Emergency Services, the Office of Homeland Security, and non-profit volunteer organizations, shall ensure the coordination of volunteer activities related to disaster response and recovery, including necessary training, equipment, and transportation provisions. In December 2006, Governor Schwarzenegger signed Executive Order S-24-06, renaming the organization CaliforniaVolunteers.