Serve Washington Celebrates AmeriCorps Week

Annual AmeriCorps Week recognizes AmeriCorps members and alumni, AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers for their service

OLYMPIA--Serve Washington is celebrating AmeriCorps Week, AmeriCorps week takes place March 13-19, 2022. AmeriCorps Week recognizes the valuable contributions of AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers who pledged to “get things done” for our nation as part of the annual celebration.

The weeklong celebration also honors the contributions and support of thousands of local organizations that make AmeriCorps programs in Washington state possible. 

Last year in Washington, more than 5,900 AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers served at more than 1,025 locations that supported communities and individuals impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, connected veterans to services, responded to food insecurity, tutored and mentored students including youth with disabilities, organized neighborhood watch programs, renovated homes, taught English to immigrants, helped seniors live independently and rebuilt communities after disasters

Since AmeriCorps was founded in 1994, more than 44,000 AmeriCorps members in Washington have served more than 68 million hours, qualifying the state for the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award totaling more than $168.3 million.

Serve Washington will also be sharing stories from AmeriCorps members that highlight various program areas: disaster services, education, economic opportunity, environmental stewardship and veterans and military families. The stories will be posted on Serve Washington’s Facebook and Twitter. All AmeriCorps members, alums and AmeriCorps Senior volunteers are invited to join in the celebration by sharing their photos and stories. When posting, please tag @ServeWashington on Facebook and @ServeWA for Twitter.

AmeriCorps engages 250,000 Americans each year in sustained, results-driven service through AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors programs. These dedicated citizens help communities manage COVID-19 response, ensure students stay on track to graduate, combat hunger and homelessness, respond to natural disasters, fight the opioid epidemic, help seniors live independently, support veterans and military families, and much more. More than 1.2 million Americans have served their country through AmeriCorps and millions more have served in AmeriCorps Seniors since 1994.

A growing body of research shows that service has an effect on more than just the communities served, but also on the members themselves. AmeriCorps alumni credit their year of service for developing leadership skills that bridge divides, solve problems, and open doors to career and educational advancement.

As an agency, AmeriCorps has created initiatives to support AmeriCorps alumni, building on this research.  Through Schools of National Service, AmeriCorps seeks to improve college access and affordability for those who’ve successfully completed a term of service. The Employers of National Service effort builds a roster of public, private, and nonprofit sector employers committed to hiring AmeriCorps alumni, as research shows national service alumni gain skills and experiences that employers find valuable.

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AmeriCorps, the federal agency for volunteerism and national service, provides opportunities for Americans to serve their country domestically, address the nation’s most pressing challenges, improve lives and communities, and strengthen civic engagement. Each year, the agency places more than 250,000 AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers in intensive service roles; and empowers millions more to serve as long-term, short-term, or one-time volunteers. Learn more at AmeriCorps.gov.