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Dear FGP, RSVP, SCP Directors, Volunteers and Friends,
Tuesday night, in President Barack Obama's Address to the Joint Session of Congress he focused on the critical need for universal access to education and his plan to create community service opportunities so everyone could afford higher education. He called for "a renewed spirit of national service for this and future generations." He then asked Congress to pass the bipartisan Kennedy/Hatch legislation - the Serve America Act - and send it to him for signature.
REAUTHORIZATION
It is critically important for every Senior Corps project director to meet personally with their members of Congress NOW when they are at home in their districts. For those of you, who do not live near your legislator's office, please schedule a phone meeting.
It is imperative to let your Representative(s) and Senators know that reauthorization of the existing national service programs (the GIVE Act) must pass before, or along with, the Kennedy/Hatch bill. We applaud the expansion and the recognition of the importance of National Service as well as the many exemplary programs proposed in the Serve America bill --- but it must be along with reauthorization of the existing national service programs that have been the cornerstone of service in our country for decades.
APPROPRIATIONS
Yesterday, President Obama released his "A New Era of Responsibility: Renewing America's Promise." This 140 page document is a not a budget, but a framework of his budget which will not be released until later in the Spring. Click here to access the document. This framework promises exciting, dynamic, new growth for Senior Corps and for all of national service. It provides an astonishing $1.13 billion for the Corporation for National and Community Service and its three core programs - AmeriCorps, Senior Corps and Learn & Serve America. This includes $261 million above the amount included in the House-passed FY09 Omnibus Appropriations Act. This is an amazingly large increase, $261 million, particularly considering the deep recession the country finds itself in now. President Obama is indeed proving himself to be a friend of national service. NSCA thanks the President for the investment he is making in national service and for the opportunities he is providing for the volunteers and the people they serve. This additional funding aims to give more Americans the opportunity to serve and to build the capacity of the nonprofit sector to find innovative solutions to social problems.
The short 140 page document contains but two pages of text concerning the Corporation for National and Community Service. So there is no detail and no breakdown of the dollars. That will be included in the actual budget when it is released in the Spring. A presidential budget is a document several hundred pages long. While it states AmeriCorps will be funded on a path to expand from its current 75,000 funded slots to 250,000 slots, no such specific numbers are sited for Senior Corps. But what is written is fantastic wonderful news. The President wrote of seniors:
Engaging Retiring Americans in Service
Older Americans have a wide range of skills and knowledge to contribute to the Nation's communities. New efforts are needed to tap the idealism and experience of this "Baby Boomer" generation - the largest and healthiest generation to enter retirement in history. The President's budget would EXPAND and IMPROVE Senior Corps programs, which connect individuals over the age of 55 to local volunteer opportunities, allowing more retirees to help meet the needs and challenges in their communities.
Note the statement "New efforts are needed to tap ... 'Baby Boomer' generation..." It is followed with "The President's budget would expand and improve Senior Corps programs..." This implies that the administration has listened to the recommendations of the NSCA and is meeting the needs of baby boomers by allowing the expansion and improvement of Senior Corps. This is exactly what NSCAhas been advising all along; Senior Corps stands poised to accommodate new innovative programs for Baby Boomers. We needed the funding and the expanded rules to do so. Although no detail is included, this is wonderful news. We await the President's budget which will include funding levels.
Corporation for National and Community Service. The Budget provides needed resources to strengthen the capacity of CNCS to manage its programs, measure performance, and conduct rigorous evaluations of the impact of CNCS programs.
Click here to read the full statement on funding for the Corporation for National and Community Service.
ONLY YOU CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN ...
a message to Senior Corps Project Directors
Our Washington Representative, Priscilla Chatman, continually stresses that the most important people in the eyes of Members of Congress are their constituents. Priscilla is in constant communication with key legislators in Washington and their staff. Members of the NSCA Board had numerous meetings and carried folders to the offices of each and every Representative and Senator when we met in Washington on your behalf. The folders contained specific information about the impact of Senior Corps programs in their state. Staff in every office was greatly appreciative for the information, but the most important person in the process is YOU, the Foster Grandparent, RSVP and Senior Companion project director. If your members of Congress don't know who you are and don't have a regular opportunity of hear stories about your volunteers and their service in their districts, then the work remains incomplete.
As many have noted, this is an unprecedented time in this country for national service. In the midst of national attention, President Obama's commitment to service and a myriad of national service bills making their way through Congress, Senior Corps must become a more recognizable and visible force in the discussion. Your voice and your presence on behalf of your volunteers is the way to make that happen.
At this time, letters and emails will be among millions. Your personal visit or scheduled personal phone call with your legislator will be remembered!
Congress will be in recess April 6 - 17. Your legislators will be in their home district for this extended period of time. A few suggestions:
- Invite your legislators to visit a site and witness your volunteers in action. Inform your local newspaper of the visit. Consider asking your legislator to spend some time serving alongside your volunteers. As a further consideration, ask your legislator if you could video their visit and post on YouTube. Members of Congress are prominently featured on YouTube visiting other national service programs. NSCA believes it's time NOW for Senior Corps to take its place in the on-line spotlight!
- For office visits, bring volunteers and recipients of service with you. In lieu of an office visit if distance is a challenge, consider scheduling a conference call with your legislators, their staff you and some volunteers while they're home in their districts. Many legislator offices have webcam capability as well.
Make an appointment TODAY! Visit www.NSCAtogether.org and find detailed materials to assist you with your visit. NSCA members can quickly obtain Senior Corps State Profiles for your state in the Members-Only section of the website. In addition, an easy-to-use feedback form is also provided through a link on the NSCA website to inform the NSCA Legislative Committee about your visit. Note: some pages of the NSCA website are under reconstruction. Access to materials may be limited. All information, however, will be fully accessible later this afternoon.
Your Representative and Senator's contact information can be found through the congress.org link on the NSCA website - www.NSCAtogether.org.
Important Reminder: We advise Senior Corps project directors that program staff and stipended volunteers can only engage in lobbying activities on their own time and not "while charging time to a Corporation-supported program".
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