Today, April 7, more than 2,600 mayors and local officials across the country are acknowledging the power of national service. These leaders know that service – including AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps VISTA – can be a cost-effective strategy to address local challenges. By unleashing the power of citizens, national service programs have a positive and lasting impact – making our cities and counties better places to live.
The 2015 Mayors and County Day of Recognition for National Service is led by the Corporation for National and Community Service, the National League of Cities, and Cities of Service. Last year, in the second-annual Mayors Day event, 1,760 mayors representing more than 110 million citizens participated.
This year in North Carolina, 49 local officials from 43 cities and counties have signed on to recognize the value of service. Our own North Carolina Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA members are making a difference in several of these communities. We thank all these leaders for supporting national service. A few examples can show why local officials would take this stance.
In the Town of Chapel Hill, Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt recognizes the value of national service. There our VISTA member Matt Kauffmann serves at the Community Empowerment Fund (CEF), training college students as mentors to CEF clients experiencing homelessness. Matt has matched 230 volunteer mentors with CEF clients, who are breaking the cycle of poverty with CEF assistance. At the Marian Cheek Jackson Center, VISTA member George Barrett has helped preserve community in the historically black neighborhood of Northside. At the Jackson Center, George has worked with UNC Chapel Hill law students to create a wills clinic that teaches home owners how to keep homes in their family. George has led volunteer teams to make repairs to 19 houses in the neighborhood, ensuring the safety of long term residents.
In the City of Greensboro where Mayor Nancy Vaughan supports service, UNCG VISTA Kali Hackett has worked to strengthen an ongoing partnership with the Interactive Resource Center. At the IRC, Kali has worked with clients and staff to develop a new financial literacy program which began this month, and she has helped streamline volunteer management processes. At UNCG, Kali helped organize campus-wide service events — including Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service — that have engaged over 140 campus and community volunteers.
Mayor Bill Benicini acknowledges the difference service makes in the City of High Point. There, High Point University VISTA members Anna Mahathey, Adekemi Ademuyewo, and Shannon Barr are working to help low-income communities access resources. Anna has been working with West End Ministries for two years to improve services and plan a community garden. Having secured land for the garden, Anna is now working with a community-led team to design the space. Adekemi and Shannon are working with the Washington Street Project, supporting two afterschool programs with the help of faculty from High Point University. Our VISTAs have recruited over 50 HPU student volunteers to work as tutors and have worked on Washington Street to establish relationships and trust. In January, the VISTA team organized an MLK Day of Service event that engaged over 600 college and community volunteers in service projects throughout the city.
Other participating officials from localities where our AmeriCorps VISTA members serve include:
Asheville Mayor Esther
Boone Mayor Andy Ball
Elon Mayor Jerry Tolley
Raleigh Mayor Nancy McFarlane
Wilmington County Manager Chris Couriet
Winston-Salem Mayor James Allen Joines
NC Campus Compact member campuses know that civic and community engagement is a win-win: college students who are engaged achieve greater academic success, gain real-world skills, and learn the duties of citizenship; and communities take advantage of higher education resources to solve problems and improve local quality of life. Our AmeriCorps VISTA members work every day to make this happen in cities and counties throughout the state.
Thanks to all the mayors and local officials who have acknowledged their efforts!