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The Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism is an agency of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.

The Corporation for National and Community Service's Board Vice-Chair Eric Tanenblatt on the value of community service

From the AJC

By Eric Tanenblatt

You may be wondering why the former chief of staff for Gov. Sonny Perdue and a lifelong conservative is cheerleading for the federal investment in national service. For me, the answer is easy. It’s smart. It works. It’s a great bang for the taxpayer dollar and it makes it possible for hundreds of thousands of Georgians to do what we do best — take care of our neighbors. I am pleased that our new governor agrees.

Gov.-elect Nathan Deal has called for Georgia citizens to join him on Saturday in giving back to their communities through a day of volunteering. This is not only an inspiring pre-inaugural gesture, it puts the new governor and our state in the vanguard of a resurgent national movement placing citizen service at the center of solving some of our toughest problems.

Citizen service has always been at the root of what it means to be a Georgian. Juliette Gordon Low of Savannah founded the Girl Scouts of the USA in 1912. The late U.S. Sen. Paul Coverdell led the Peace Corps during a time of historic expansion. As the cradle of the civil rights movement in the 1960s, this state has given birth to some of America’s greatest service leaders, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whose birthday will be marked by a national day of service on Jan. 17. My good friend Michelle Nunn is continuing that tradition as CEO of the Points of Light Institute, an organization founded by former President George H.W. Bush.

Last year, in the midst of the great recession, approximately 63.4 million Americans volunteered in some way in their communities — the largest increase since 2003. That number includes almost 1.8 million Georgians — 24.4 percent of the state’s population. And last year, Atlanta became one of 10 “cities of service” to add a chief service officer charged with mobilizing greater volunteer resources to tackle a host of pressing problems.

National service, as embodied in the three major programs of the Corporation for National and Community Service — AmeriCorps, Senior Corps and Learn and Serve America — engages 23,000 Georgians of all ages and backgrounds in addressing issues of poverty, illiteracy, disasters, public safety, independent living and more throughout this state.

One of the key ingredients of the success of this federal program has been its support across the political spectrum. In fact, in a spirit of bipartisanship rarely seen these days in Washington, it took Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., working with leaders in the House, just weeks to rally the votes and pass the Serve America Act in 2009.

As a lifelong Republican, and as someone who has spent two decades in public and voluntary service, let me give you three reasons why I believe that a modest investment in service is consistent with conservative principles and has a powerful catalytic effect on citizen empowerment.

First, national service recognizes that the best solutions come from outside Washington. It invests in citizens to solve problems, tapping the energy and ingenuity of the American people.

Second, an investment in national service is a good deal for taxpayers. AmeriCorps was built to be a public-private partnership, and it leverages substantial private investment — more than $300 million in non-federal funds each year to fund such programs as Teach for America and Habitat for Humanity.

Third, while the primary purpose of national service is to get things done for people in need, it has important side benefits. One of those is the transforming impact it has on those who serve — exposing them to society’s problems, empowering them to act, and putting them on a path of civic engagement.

Service also enables people of diverse backgrounds to work together toward common goals. As Dr. King put it: “Life’s most urgent and persistent question is what are you doing for others.”

The modern service movement is built on these principles which are shared by people of every political persuasion and all walks of life. On Saturday, I urge you to answer Gov.-elect Deal’s call to “give back to the state that has given us so much.” Whether you volunteer alongside AmeriCorps members providing job search assistance in Albany, at the local food bank in Macon, or at dozens of other sites, you will be making a difference in the lives of your neighbors and keeping the Georgia legacy of service alive.

Eric Tanenblatt is senior managing director at McKenna Long and Aldridge LLP and vice chairman of the board of the Corporation for National and Community Service.

              Georgia Governor-elect Nathan Deal’s Day of Service

Our state service commission, several of our GCSV board members, and several of our AmeriCorps programs are actively involved in the planning for several of the 30 projects currently on the list maintained by the governor-elect’s inaugural team. And our VISTA team members are also involved in supporting and planning for the projects within their regions. Our commission has made a substantial contribution to this statewide effort, and I hope many of you can join us on January 8 to help make the projects an emphatic success.

Here’s what Governor-elect Deal had to say yesterday about this statewide effort:

“The Day of Service gives us a chance to give back to the state that has given us so much. There’s no higher calling for Georgians than using their time and immense talents to aid people with great needs in these difficult times. Rarely have we seen such need – or such an opportunity to positively impact the lives of everyday Georgians.”

Here’s what some of our board members have already done to help:

Kim Brannen has taken the lead in Statesboro to organize a volunteer effort to benefit a local non-profit, Fostering Families, by building shelving, painting and performing other maintenance on a donated facility that will house emergency clothing and other items needed by foster children.

Heather Teilhet is working with two projects organized by Electric Membership Corporations in Carrolton and Valdosta and is helping the inaugural team with media promotion by planning appearances for Governor-elect Deal, Congressman Jack Kingston and other spokespeople to talk about the Day of Service in Atlanta, Macon, Savannah, Columbus and Augusta on Tuesday, Jan. 4.

Glen Wilkins has worked with the Deal inaugural team to provide statewide support through Walmart and to arrange for special assistance, equipment and volunteers at specific projects.

Richard McIntyre plans to attend the House of Heroes event in Columbus to help a veteran with housing rehabilitation.

Here’s what our AmeriCorps programs are doing:

Sgt. Denise Barnes, the program director of the Albany AmeriCorps Police Cadets, has taken the lead to organize a Day of Service project in her city that will provide job search assistance to low income neighborhood residents.

The Macon AmeriCorps Police Cadets have volunteered to help the food bank project in their city by sorting and shelving donated items.

Youth Villages/ Inner Harbour Campus will supply AmeriCorps members, students and other volunteers for the Sweetwater Creek State Park clean-up project near Douglasville.

Refugee Family Services AmeriCorps program will participate at the Fort Yargo State Park event near Winder.

The Georgia Mountains YMCA AmeriCorps program is volunteering at a project in Gainesville and Georgia Personal Assistance Service Corps will have AmeriCorps members serving at a community center project in Augusta. 

All members of the GCSV State VISTA team are assisting the projects in their respective regions and will participate on the Day of Service. Some of our VISTA members, like Hartwell Brooks in Dalton, have been deeply involved in planning and support with project captains. The VISTA team will also assist with data collection during and after the events.

The GCSV staff will attend the following projects to assist:

John Turner – House of Heroes in Columbus

Amieko Watson – Fostering Families in Statesboro

Candice Gunn – Project Greenway in Athens

Kiana Sullivan – Middle Georgia Food Bank in Macon

Ruben Burney – Wounded Warriors in Augusta

Zaneta Ivery – Atlanta Mission in Atlanta

Ryan Coskrey – MedShare in Atlanta

Lori Bodine – Senior Connection in Atlanta

Bonnie Roberts – Center for Families in Marietta

I hope more of our board members can join us on January 8 by signing up to participate at one of the projects across the state. You can see the list, select a project and register at: http://dealinaugural.com/service.php

If you do register for an event, please send me an email telling me where you will be (the deadline for registering is Monday, Jan. 3). Also, if you have been involved in the planning or support of projects, please let me know that information as well so I can add your efforts to the list above. We are working with the Deal inaugural team to collect data about the projects and we will publish a report on the impact of the Day of Service after the inauguration.

Gov-elect Deal’s Day of Service has great potential to shine a spotlight of public awareness on areas of great need across our state and to mobilize volunteers to be part of the solution to some of our most pressing community problems.

Inauguration of Georgia's 82nd Govenor will begin with a Day of Service across the State.

Georgia Governor-elect Nathan Deal has announced a Day of Service prior to his inauguration that will engage thousands of volunteers in community projects through partnerships with local charities, shelters, missions, food banks and environmental agencies.

Organized around the theme of "With A Servant's Heart," the Day of Service will feature community projects Saturday, January 8, in Gainesville , Marietta , Columbus , Athens , Lilburn, Norcross, Atlanta , Macon , Savannah , Rome and Augusta .

The Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism (GCSV) is working with the inauguration planning team to help organize Day of Service projects in Albany and Statesboro, and will also attend and support the other projects across the state.

GCSV board members have been invited to participate in the events and help promote them. "Our state service commission thanks Governor-elect Deal for making service to communities an important part of his inauguration plans," said John Turner, GCSV executive director. "These events will give Georgians an opportunity to answer Governor-elect Deal's call for volunteer service to give back to our state by helping organizations that are on the front lines of improving lives and strengthening communities."

For information about the Day of Service and a list of current projects, visit http://dealinaugural.com/service.php . For information about GCSV, contact the Executive Director, John Turner, at john.turner@dca.ga.gov or the Communications and Training Specialist, Kiana Sullivan, at kiana.sullivan@dca.ga.gov.

                  MLK Day is January 17, 2011-Be a Part of the Moment!

                                               Make it a day ON , not a day off!

                                    It's time to plan projects for MLK Day 2011!

Looking for volunteer opportunities? Need to post a project? http://www.serve.gov

More resources can be found at www.mlkday.gov

  "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, "'What are you doing for others?'"

                                                                                              - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

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Neighbors Helping Neighbors:

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in Georgia

By Rochelle Barry, Director of Georgia 's State Office of the Corporation for National and Community Service, and John Turner, Executive Director of the Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is: "'What are you doing for others?'"

~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Since Martin Luther King first issued that call to service, Americans have sought to find new and inventive ways to build upon our country's long history of service to others - the spirit which Dr. King exemplified.  In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed the law which made the third Monday in January a national holiday to honor King's birthday.  Three years later, that same day was designated as a national day of service by Congress, making January 17, 2011 the 25 th anniversary of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.  The idea is simple: let's make it a day ON, not a day off!

This year, The Corporation for National and Community Service and the Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism are encouraging nonprofits all over Georgia to coordinate and host projects to not only honor the legacy of Dr. King, but to bring attention to-and help meet-the real needs affecting so many Georgians.

We are reaching out to all Georgians and asking you to help your fellow neighbors, and those in need by participating in one of the biggest national Days of Service.  Let's make sure Georgia shines by having a huge outpouring of support and volunteer efforts!

Dr. King's teachings can continue to guide us in addressing our nation's most pressing social needs today.  Each of us can contribute to strengthening our own communities by serving in Dr. King's honor on MLK Day and throughout the year.  In addition, by making service part of our daily lives, we can help realize his dream and support our nation's renewal and recovery.

Projects are happening all over the state, ranging from food, clothing, and paper product drives, to cookie baking, tax preparation, flood recovery, winterizing projects, basic household tasks, and mentoring opportunities.  The possibilities, as well as the opportunity to help out, are endless. The best part is that doing your part is easy just visit http://www.serve.gov , click on the search icon, and you're ready to find a way to get involved that you will thoroughly enjoy.

Thank you for helping meet the needs of our fellow Georgians.  Together, we will "Make it a Day ON, not a Day OFF!"

Rochelle Barry                                            John Turner

Director                                                            Executive Director

Georgia Office, Corporation for                    Georgia Commission for

National and Comunity Service                    Service and Volunteerism

    Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism

                            GCSV Wins "Team of the Year" Award!!

  Photo by Alana Joyner, Office of the  Governor

From the desk of GCSV Executive Director, John Turner:

The staff of the Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism was the winner of the annual "Team of the Year" award for state agencies presented yesterday at the Georgia World Congress Center . The award recognized GCSV's work during the first six months of this year to take over the Learn and Serve program in Georgia and also start a statewide VISTA project sponsored by our commission. I was honored to accept the award on behalf of the GCSV team from Gov. Sonny Perdue and Chief Operating Officer, Trey Childress.

The GCSV staff was one of ten finalists in the Team Excellence category of Team Georgia's Fourth Annual Governor's Customer Service Awards. Agencies such as the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Revenue, the State Board of Pardons and Paroles, the Department of Veterans Services, and many others were included in the category. The award presenters stated that every one of the finalists deserved to win and so to be chosen as the "Team of the Year" is an outstanding accomplishment and a testament to the importance of what we do.

This award truly represents a team effort in every sense and we were honored by the support we received from Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Mike Beatty and the DCA leadership. Special thanks go out to Ruben Burney, Candice Gunn, Zaneta Ivery, and former GCSV team member, Kate Webb, for their dedication to our mission, their hard work and their long hours this past year. We are also grateful to have been joined this summer by new staff members Kiana Sullivan, training and communications, Ryan Coskrey , disability, Lori Bodine , Learn & Serve, Jamora Jackson , finance, Amieko Watson , AmeriCorps, and also Bonnie Roberts , VISTA Team Leader. They have already shown the same dedication and commitment to high standards and they are wonderful to work with. Together this team is now ready to do even greater things for Georgia!

The GCSV team was recognized for its work in creating a new Learn & Serve America K-12 program for Georgia that resulted in $525,000 in grants to 12 schools and other organizations. The award also recognized GCSV's work to create a statewide VISTA project in partnership with Georgia 's Regional Commissions to promote volunteerism and fight poverty.

Please join me in congratulating the GCSV staff for this honor!

John

Photo by Alana Joyner, Office of the  Governor

For the full press release, click here.

For Immediate Release

Contact:

Kiana Sullivan

Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism

P: 404-679-1738

F: 770-302-9961

kiana.sullivan@dca.ga.gov

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Governor Perdue Announces Executive Appointment

ATLANTA - Governor Sonny Perdue announced the following appointment to the

Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism Board.

Honorable Ceasar Mitchell, Atlanta - Mitchell is currently serving as the 7th President of the Atlanta City Council. He is a Senior Attorney for Epstein, Becker & Green, P.C., where he practices commercial real estate. Mitchell has served as a citywide Councilmember, facilitates an annual college admissions exam preparation program, chairman of the Board of Directors for Hands In Atlanta, president of the Gate City Bar Association, the board of Outward Bound Atlanta and Outstanding Atlanta and serves with many civic organizations.

GCSV is thrilled to have Ceasar join the board of commissioners, where he will be a great asset to the organization.

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The Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism

2011-2012 AmeriCorps*State Grant Competition

The Corporation for National and Community has released the 2011-2012 Notice of Funding Opportunity for AmeriCorps*State and National Programs. Visit the GCSV web site for details, forms, and links:

                                  http://www.americorpsga.org/2011_2012NOFO.html

For more information contact Amieko Watson at amieko.watson@dca.ga.gov or 404-327-6860, and John Turner at john.turner@dca.ga.gov or 404-327-6846.

Volunteer Opportunity    

Our thanks goes out to all who donated to our Book Drive! The National Service Community (AmeriCorps, AmeriCorps VISTA, and Senior Corps) in Georgia and South Carolina , in conjunction with the East Central Georgia Regional Library, hosted a Book Drive to promote healthy lifestyles for young readers.  This effort was in support of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) Dialogue which took place in Augusta, Georgia on August 23, 2010.

CNCS is embarking on a new roadmap of service where service is universally recognized as a solution and competitive advantage to solving the country's most pressing challenges in addition to boosting civic engagement. The agency's strategic plan charts out that roadmap and CNCS is seeking public input on its draft 2011-2015 Strategic Plan. This plan will define their mission, goals, and the means by which they will measure progress for the next five years. It will also inform constituents of funding opportunities, program guidance, and other resource decisions. This plan will affect grantees, partners, participants, and the people and communities we serve.  Public input is being generated via Community Dialogue sessions throughout the nation, such as the event in Augusta, Georgia.

CNCS is taking the audience's comments and feedback very seriously and encourages participants to be candid and provide positive suggestions for improvement. The key objectives will continue to be refined throughout their planning process. After all feedback is gathered, the data will be synthesized and shared with everyone in attendance at a listening session.

As a part of the Community Dialogue session in Augusta, Georgia, a community service project was also held. All books collected from registered participants were donated to local school children and libraries in Augusta and North Augusta. And as a special treat, two City Year AmeriCorps members lead all of the children in warm-up exercises, and CNCS Vice Chairman, Eric Tanenblatt, read a special healthy living story to all of the children!