Serve Washington welcomes new AmeriCorps members during 2024 Swearing-in ceremony

OLYMPIA —AmeriCorps members across the state attended a virtual swearing-in ceremony Oct.30 to celebrate the start of the new AmeriCorps service year.  A total of 275 AmeriCorps members and program staff registered to view it on Zoom.

In 1993, President Bill Clinton signed the National and Community Trust Act that established AmeriCorps. Since then, more than 1.25 million people have served in AmeriCorps programs across the country. In Washington state, more than 47,000 people have served in AmeriCorps.

AmeriCorps members commit to a year of service at nonprofit organizations, state and local governments and educational institutions. AmeriCorps places approximately 200,000 members and volunteers at 36,000 service locations across the country to help address critical needs in local communities. In Washington state, Serve Washington distributed $21.6 million in federal funding to 22 organizations that will place 1,254 AmeriCorps at various service locations statewide during the 2024-2025 service year.

Throughout their service, AmeriCorps members help close the achievement gaps for school-age children, prepare low-income students for higher education, protect our environment, and recruit and manage volunteers. 

The 2024 ceremony featured video greetings from Lt.Gov. Denny Heck and Gov. Jay Inslee recognizing AmeriCorps members’ commitment to service. Pierce County Council Member Ryan Mello, an AmeriCorps alum who served at the United Way of Pierce County, was the keynote speaker. He talked about his service in AmeriCorps and how it helped shape his continued roles in leadership.

The event also featured a moderated question-and-answer panel with AmeriCorps alums Caroline Sagle, Frenchie Loveheart and Eman Elmasri. The panelists shared personal stories about their motivations to serve and offered tips and advice for incoming AmeriCorps members. Sagle completed three terms of service in AmeriCorps and is now the director of the Thurston County-based Deschutes Estuary Restoration team, which is focused on outreach and advocacy work on the Fourth Avenue Dam removal and estuary restoration project. Loveheart is an entrepreneur and served multiple terms of service as an AmeriCorps Vet Corps navigator at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Antioch University in Seattle and Cascadia College in Bothell. Vet Corps navigators help veterans transition from military to academic life. He also served in the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps, NCCC. AmeriCorps NCCC is a full-time service program in which teams of 18-25-year-olds are deployed to various short-term projects service locations around the county that center around infrastructure improvements, urban development, energy conservation, and disaster preparedness, mitigation and response. Elmasri served two service terms as an AmeriCorps Hunger Corps associate and benefits hub coach with the United Way of King County, helping youths get free meals during the summers while conducting outreach events and serving at a drive-though food bank in Renton.

Watch the video recording on YouTube

About Serve Washington: Serve Washington is the state Commission on National and Community Service.  It advances national service, volunteerism and civic engagement to improve lives; expands opportunity to meet the local critical needs of Washington; and strengthens community capacity while creating healthy and resilient communities. It is a grantmaking partner of the AmeriCorps agency. It supports Community Emergency Response Teams, CERT, by helping them meet credentialing requirements and connecting interested volunteers to teams in their area. Serve Washington also promotes volunteer recognition efforts with its annual Washington State Volunteer Service Awards. Learn more at servewashignton.wa.gov.

About AmeriCorps: AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism, provides opportunities for Americans to serve the community and country domestically, address the nation’s most pressing challenges, improve lives and communities and strengthen civic engagement. Each year, the agency places more than 200,000 AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers and intensive service roles and empowers millions more to serve as long-term, short-term or one-time volunteers. Learn more at AmeriCorps.gov.