Serving those who served us, as well as engaging the talents of our veterans and military families is a strategic priority for the Corporation for National and Community Service. Across the country, we regularly commit millions of dollars and countless volunteer hours to this mission.
On any given day, there are nearly 50 different grantee organizations, hundreds of projects and initiatives, and more than 4,000 CNCS empowered individuals engaged in service that benefits our military family and veteran community.
As we pursue our goals, we are guided by the following principles:
More than 16,000 veterans have served in AmeriCorps since its inception helping other veterans and military families access benefits and services; obtain job training and conduct job searching; provide safe and affordable housing; and mentor and tutor children of service members.
More than 500 Senior Corpsprojects and 8,000 volunteers serve at more than 700 Veterans Affairs facilities every year, assisting elderly and disabled veterans, helping military retirees acclimate to life after service, and providing transportation to those in need of medical treatment.
AmeriCorps NCCC has supported more than 50,000 veterans through special service projects, special events and disaster relief/recovery. More than 2,000 veterans received the support of relief services in the Gulf after hurricane Katrina.
This year, as a part of our Strategic Plan, the Corporation has committed to increasing its focus and efforts for our veterans and military families. In addition, we are increasing our investment and partnerships with other federal, state, local, and non-profits from coast to coast.
If you are a wounded warrior, veteran or military spouse interested in the benefits of National Service, apply here. If you are a non-profit or state entity who would like to learn more about our competitive grants, apply here. If you are looking for community service opportunities in your neighborhood to help Veterans and Military families, please visit www.serve.gov.
Today, a group of young men and women, many of them veterans, will stand up and pledge to “get things done for America”. They will join a legion of more than 750,000 Americans who have served in AmeriCorps and become the first class to also serve as VetCorps members.
Helping homeless veterans get off the streets feels like work Duane Magee was made to do, and his tireless quest puts him behind the wheel for thousands of miles each year to find them. He is living proof to vets that recovery from homelessness and incarceration is possible because their story is his story, and his quiet mission to assist them led to his nomination for a 2012 Martin Luther King Drum Major for Service Award.
Of the 130,000 veterans in Idaho, more than 30,000 are registered with the Idaho Department of Labor to receive employment resources and job training. However, budget cuts have put this program in jeopardy.
Many years ago, I stepped off a plane from Iraq and onto the tarmac at Pope Airfield in Fort Bragg, NC. The scene was filled with open arms, cheers, the sound of muffled grunts of joy as weeping kids jumped into the arms of their parents, and spouses' soft cries of love and longing. The sounds of reunions were deafening as they bounced off the high walls of the hangar -- it was a sound that I welcomed, and remember to this day.
