Senator Murkowski Wins Senate Support for National Youth Service Day

SENATOR MURKOWSKI WINS SENATE SUPPORT FOR NATIONAL YOUTH SERVICE DAY

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski won Senate support to designate April 15th as National Youth Service Day to honor youth service efforts nationwide.

Murkowski won unanimous Senate approval to designate the day to foster a public awareness and education campaign that highlights the extraordinary contributions that young people make to their communities throughout the year. "On April 15th, youth from across the United States and the world will carry out community service projects in areas ranging from hunger to literacy to the environment," Murkowski said.

The goals of National Youth Service Day are to mobilize youth as leaders in identifying and addressing the needs of their communities; to support youth in community service and civic engagement; and to educate the public, the media and policymakers about the year-round contributions of young people to their communities.

"Too often, the good work to improve our community done by young people goes unnoticed and under appreciated," said Murkowski. "By keeping young people active and involved in their communities, youth have an opportunity to learn valuable skills and to show they can take responsibility. I commend those organizations taking part in National Youth Service Day."

National Youth Service Day brings together over 50 lead agencies, 114 national partners, hundreds of grant winners, and thousands of local partners to support and promote the millions of youth engaged in community service.

Below is a listing of National Youth Service Day events in Alaska:

Friday, April 15th from 11:00 - 5:00 - Cook Inlet Tribal Council/Youth Opportunity, Anchorage • Traditional Meals on Wheels for Alaska's Homeless • The Native Student Leadership Council will prepare a traditional Alaska Native dish to deliver to 75 - 100 homeless people in downtown Anchorage.

Friday, April 15th - Communities In Schools Mat-Su in the Mat-Su Valley • Organized 25 students from the Mat-Su Youth Facility School and students from the Chickaloon Tribal School to work on building a Chicken Coop for the tribal sustainability project.

Saturday, April 16th - Anchorage's Promise, Anchorage • KidsDay, in which over 70 organizations from Anchorage and Mat-Su present a free, family oriented way to learn about the resources available to families in Anchorage. Exhibitors will have booths, demonstrations and drives for the various venues - the Egan Center, The Imaginarium, the Anchorage Museum of History and Art, and the Alaska Zoo.

Saturday, April 16th - Ongoing projects and final ceremony - Anchorage Youth Make it Better Project, Anchorage • This is a coordinated effort with Friends of Alaska Points of Light Youth Leadership Institute (PYLI), Mountain View Boys & Girls Club, Alaska Division of Juvenile Justice, Boy Scouts of America Venturing Program, AmeriCorps/VISTA Volunteers and the Alaska PYLI Student Alumni Association. • Participants will be honored at the Alaska Spirit of Community Youth Recognition Ceremony on April 16th from 6:00 - 8:30 pm at the Spenard Community Center.

April 15 - 17th, ongoing projects - Helping the Elders, Koyukuk • RuralCap/Americorps adult volunteers will partner with youth in Koyukuk to help nine elders with various house related chores. The elders are recuperating from surgery or are alone. The youth will also be asked to help with the Koyukuk Mini Carnival.

http://murkowski.senate.gov/pressapp/record.cfm?id=236348