Serve Washington to swear in hundreds of AmeriCorps members

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 24, 2018
CONTACT: Amber Martin-Jahn, executive director, Serve Washington
Phone: 360-902-0669 or 360-764-0423

Serve Washington to swear in hundreds of AmeriCorps members

OLYMPIA — Hundreds of AmeriCorps members from across the state will gather Friday in Seattle at Serve Washington’s annual swearing-in ceremony to celebrate the beginning of a year of service. The event is scheduled for 10 a.m.–noon at Seattle Center’s Fisher Pavilion.

AmeriCorps members commit to a year of service at nonprofit organizations, state and local governments and educational institutions. This year AmeriCorps members will serve at more than 975 locations throughout the state. Through their service they will help close the achievement gaps for school-age children, prepare low-income students for higher education, protect our environment, and recruit and manage volunteers.

Jessica Vavrus, an AmeriCorps alum and now government relations director for the Washington State School Directors’ Association will deliver the keynote speech. Other speakers are Amy Hoyte, chair of Serve Washington; Bill Basl, former director of AmeriCorps for the Corporation for National and Community Service; State Rep. Ruth Kagi, 32nd Legislative District; and Amber Martin-Jahn, executive director of Serve Washington. Together, they will swear in the new class of members.

Similar swearing-in ceremonies are happening across the country this fall as more than 75,000 individuals join AmeriCorps. 

Following the ceremony, AmeriCorps members will participate in a situational awareness training or an environmental restoration project sponsored by EarthCorps.

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Serve Washington advances national service, volunteerism and civic engagement to improve lives; expands opportunity to meet the local critical needs of residents of Washington; and strengthens community capacity while creating healthy and resilient communities. For more information, visit www.servewashington.wa.gov.

AmeriCorps is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that engages millions of Americans in service through AmeriCorps, Senior Corps and the Volunteer Generation Fund, and leads the nation’s volunteering and service efforts. For more information, visit NationalService.gov.

WHO:        

• 500 new or returning AmeriCorps members
• Bill Basl, former Executive Director of Serve Washington and former Director of AmeriCorps for the Corporation for National and Community Service
• State Rep. Ruth Kagi, 32nd Legislative District
• Jessica Vavrus, an AmeriCorps alum, government relations director for the Washington State School Directors’ Association
• Amber Martin-Jahn, Serve Washington executive director

WHAT:         

AmeriCorps members swearing-in ceremony

WHEN:  

Friday, Oct. 26, 10 a.m.–noon
Open to media. Camera set up at 9:30 a.m.
Swearing-in oath to take place at end of ceremony
Followed by training and service events starting at 1 p.m.

WHERE:      

Fisher Pavilion – Seattle Center
305 Harrison St.
Seattle, WA 98109

Local contact:

Amber Martin-Jahn
Executive director, Serve Washington
Phone: 360-902-0669 or 360-764-0423

Media interested in attending or interviewing members should email servewa@ofm.wa.gov with WA Swearing-In Ceremony in the subject line.