Author Archives: Amy Potthast

05.22.09
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Maria Eitel Withdraws her Name from CNCS Chief Consideration

Nicola Goren, Acting CEO of the Corporation for National Service will be acting as CEO a little bit longer. She issued this statement today:

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to let you know that we have been notified by the White House that due to a previously unknown health condition, Maria Eitel has withdrawn her name from consideration as the CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Our thoughts are with Maria as she focuses on her personal health. On behalf of the Corporation Board and myself, I want to thank you for your continued hard work during these busy times. Finding leadership for the Corporation continues to be a high priority for the White House and I’m confident they will work hard to name someone else soon.

In service,

Nicola Goren
Acting CEO
Corporation for National and Community Service

Maria Eitel was nominated April 21, the same day the Serve America Act was signed in to law. Read more about the withdrawal in the Chronicle of Philanthropy. Also check out this analysis in Youth Today.

05.20.09
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City Year Final Application Deadline – May 31

City Year app deadline - May 31The application deadline for City Year — the team-based AmeriCorps program that focuses on youth development and mentoring — closes in a little over a week. Today’s guest blogger is Michael Messina, from City Year.

So what are you doing next year? Thinking about making a difference?

The final application deadline for City Year is May 31. If you are interested in serving with the 2009-2010 City Year corps, we recommend that you apply as soon as possible. City Year has received a record number of applications this year – part of a larger trend of young people volunteering in record numbers. Applications to the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps have soared while organizations like Teach for America and Public Allies have also seen a significant spike in applications.

“Volunteering is not such a casual thing anymore. It’s part of our lifestyle…giving back is our own way of being empowered to Continue reading →

05.19.09
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New Podcast: Cross Sector Relationships, Corporate Responsibility and Citizen Service: An Interview with Alan Khazei and Shannon Schuyler

The New Service podcast from Idealist.org takes a look at a new national partnership.

Corporate social responsibility and citizen service are increasingly becoming two sides of the same coin, as more business-sectoemployees and clients demand opportunities to improve their communities as part of their workplace culture. Exemplifying the beneficial opportunities of cross-sector alliances is the new national partnership between the nonprofit Be The Change, Inc., and the business network Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC).

Alan Khazei

Alan Khazei

Today’s guests on The New Service podcast from Idealist.og are Be the Change, Inc’s Alan Khazei and PwC’s Shannon Schuyler. Link to the podcast.

Alan Khazei is the founder and CEO of Be the Change, Inc, the lead organizer of the Service Nation campaign that has galvanized support throughout the country for passage of the Kennedy Serve America Act. Alan is Co-Founder & former CEO of City Year, the youth service corps that helped to inspire the development of AmeriCorps.

Shannon Schuyler

Shannon Schuyler

Shannon Schuyler is the Managing Director responsible for PwC’s U.S. Corporate Responsibility. As such she is responsible for fostering meaningful partnerships with national non-profits, including a new national relationship with Be the Change, Inc.

The collaboration between Pricewaterhouse Coopers and Be the Change Inc is aimed at inspiring a new era of voluntary citizen service. PwC will also serve as a Lead Sponsor for ServiceNation’s participation in the upcoming National Conference on Volunteering and Service.

I spoke with Alan and Shannon about their evolving partnership, about how corporate responsibility strengthens communities, and about how groups can — and must — come together across sectors to solve our most pressing social problems.

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05.16.09
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Med School Tuition Help for Former Corps Members

601TV's Flickr StreamIn response to the projected shortage of doctors in the coming decades, and the prohibitive costs of medical education, Rep. Michael McMahon (D-NY) has introduced a bill to make medical school affordable for former civilian service corps participants.

The Future Physicians Serving America Act of 2009, co-sponsored by Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD), would grant tuition assistance for Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and former AmeriCorps members studying medicine.

According to the proposed legislation, for each year of service, former service participants would earn two years’ worth of tuition assistance. The assistance would amount to between 50 and 100 percent tuition costs. For former AmeriCorps members, the amount of the med school assistance would replace the amount of the regular Education Award. Also, Continue reading →

05.15.09
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New Online Discussion Board for the Serve America Act Implementation

Serve America ActIn response to the Kennedy Serve America Act that will take effect October 1, the Corporation for National and Community Service is holding listening sessions — Katrina Mathis wrote about these this past week — and launching a few conference calls and an online discussion board where you can share your thoughts.

To achieve the goals of the Serve America Act — including expanding opportunities for all Americans to serve; focusing on important national outcomes; serving as a catalyst for social innovation; and supporting the nonprofit sector — the Corporation is swinging open the door to hear as many ideas as possible, in order to glean the best ideas and thoughts from Continue reading →