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HOMEPAGE > NEWSROOM

Press Release

For Immediate Release
Contact: Sean C. Bonyun
April 21, 2009
(202) 225-3761

Upton Applauds Renewal of Volunteerism – Joins President for Signing of GIVE Act to Expand AmeriCorps & Other Service Programs
Local Boys and Girls Clubs, Area Agency on Aging in Berrien County and Senior Services in Kalamazoo stand to benefit from renewed commitment to service programs

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph) today joined President Barack Obama as he renewed the nation's commitment to volunteer service, signing the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act, H.R. 1388, into law. The legislation recognizes our need to reinvest in American communities by reauthorizing and expanding through FY 2014 the service programs operated by the Corporation for National and Community Service, which were last authorized 16 years ago. Upton was one of 26 House Republicans to vote in favor of the GIVE Act, which passed the House on March 31st by a vote of 275–149.

"With the simple stroke of the President's pen, today we usher in a new era of service in Michigan and across the nation," said Upton. "We have hundreds of folks, youth and seniors alike, volunteering across southwest Michigan today thanks to federal programs like AmeriCorps and Senior Corps, and soon that number will grow substantially due to our renewed commitment to volunteerism. This new law recognizes the importance of volunteerism and the role of nonprofit organizations in providing the human capital to meet the increasing needs of families and communities that are struggling to make ends meet. Volunteerism is of critical importance during challenging economic times, and encouraging folks to give back in Michigan will have a tremendous impact on those families and communities in need of a helping hand."

This year, the Corporation for National and Community Service will commit more than $21,700,000 to support communities throughout Michigan through Senior Corps, AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America. More than 41,000 people of all ages and backgrounds are helping to meet local needs, strengthen communities, and increase civic engagement through 123 national service projects across Michigan, and that number will soon grow.

"This act taps into a valuable local resource, allowing the people of a community to use their knowledge and experience to give back, especially our seniors who are tireless volunteers," said Lynn Kellogg, Executive Director of the Area Agency on Aging, which has over 150 active volunteers through the Senior Corps program. "In these times, we need to do all that we can to pool our resources together, and this legislation will enable more volunteers to give back to their local community."

In an April 8th editorial praising the expansion of AmeriCorps, the South Bend Tribune wrote, "A vote by Congress…to substantially increase funding for the AmeriCorps program is very good news for hundreds of thousands of young people who will come to know the benefits of volunteering for their country and its communities. It is also good news for the many millions who will benefit from the services provided by AmeriCorps volunteers….This is economic stimulus in a small way. In a bigger way, it's quality-of-life stimulus…"

The GIVE Act updates and strengthens and expands national service programs administrated by the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency created in 1993. Serving with national and local nonprofits, schools, faith-based organizations and other groups, these citizens tutor and mentor children, coordinate after-school programs, build homes, conduct neighborhood patrols, restore the environment, respond to disasters, build nonprofit capacity and recruit and manage volunteers. The bill also allows for new service corps focused on areas of national need, and within AmeriCorps, supports innovative entrepreneurs who are solving our real challenges.

Specifically, the GIVE Act:

  • Puts AmeriCorps on a growth path from its current level of 75,000 volunteers a year to 250,000 volunteers a year. Last month, more than 9,700 online applications were submitted to AmeriCorps, more than triple the number submitted at the same time last year.
  • Creates new programs to address America's most pressing challenges, such as tackling the dropout crisis and strengthening our schools, improving health care for low-income communities, assisting veterans and military families, boosting energy efficiency and cleaning up parks.
  • Increases the Eli Segal AmeriCorps Education Award and links it to the maximum Pell Grant in the future, currently $5,350, to increase incentives for service and postsecondary education.
  • Creates a "Summer of Service" program to encourage middle and high school students to engage in a summer of community service and put them on a path to a lifetime of service.
  • Creates "Encore Fellowships" to put the skills and experience of older Americans to work. This one-year fellowship gives Americans over 50 years of age the opportunity to transition into part-time or full-time service to carry out projects of national need.
  • Creates a "Social Innovation Fund" to support the work of successful and dynamic nonprofits, and help them bring their innovative ideas to scale.

 

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Congressman Fred Upton Michigan Sixth District