In Honor of the 20th Anniversary of AmeriCorps

Floor Speech

Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the accomplishments of twenty years of service to our communities from the AmeriCorps program. I ask that my colleagues join me in celebrating with AmeriCorps members past and present the many lives changed and neighborhoods improved through the immensely important work of the AmeriCorps volunteers.

Twenty years ago, on September 21, President Clinton signed into law the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993. This legislation created the Corporation for National and Community Service, and under it the three CNCS administered programs: Senior Corps, Learn and Serve America, and AmeriCorps. I was fortunate enough to be at the White House for the inception of AmeriCorps, and am thankful for this opportunity to celebrate its achievements over the last twenty years.

Since 1993, more than 800,000 AmeriCorps members have contributed more than 1 billion hours in service across the country. In my hometown of Sacramento, we currently have 144 full time AmeriCorps volunteers who serve Sacramento in a multitude of ways. AmeriCorps volunteers serve in our schools and in the aftermath of disasters. I would like to thank all of our local AmeriCorps volunteers for their
continued commitment to improving our community--one neighborhood at a time.

In recent years, we as a country have faced natural disasters from Hurricane Sandy to the tornadoes in Oklahoma. Through these moments, the American people have responded with a spirit of service and ingenuity. We must keep investing in service and volunteer programs, to help to prepare us to handle unforeseen crises. Furthermore, community service is a proven pathway to employment. As communities recover from the recent recession, the skills learned and networks created through service have helped many Americans return to full time employment. AmeriCorps has consistently leveraged a small amount of
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federal dollars to provide lasting impact on areas of the country that need it most.

Mr. Speaker, again I thank the members and alumni of the AmeriCorps Program for their tremendous service to our country. This twenty years marks a successful milestone for the program, and I look forward to seeing the accomplishments of the AmeriCorps Program over the next twenty years.

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