WHEREAS, service to others is a distinctive characteristic of Virginians, and throughout our history thousands of citizens have stepped up to meet community challenges by volunteering; and

WHEREAS, AmeriCorps provides opportunities for more than 75,000 Americans interested in making an ongoing, intensive commitment to serve nonprofits, schools, public agencies, and community and faith-based groups across the country; and

WHEREAS, last year in Virginia, 2,800 national service members of various ages and backgrounds helped to meet local needs at more than 400 locations in the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, AmeriCorps members in Virginia help ensure students succeed at every level of education, combat hunger and homelessness, respond to natural disasters, restore the environment, fight the opioid epidemic, help seniors live independently, and much more; and

WHEREAS, AmeriCorps enriches the lives of its members, building habits that create engaged citizens who are active participants in civic matters affecting their communities long after their service terms are completed; and

WHEREAS, in exchange for their service, AmeriCorps members earn valuable work skills, money for higher education, and develop an appreciation for citizenship that strengthens the lives of their families, communities, and the Commonwealth as a whole; and

WHEREAS, since AmeriCorps’ founding in 1994, more than 21,000 Virginia AmeriCorps members have served more than 34 million hours and have qualified for Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards totaling nearly $81 million; and

WHEREAS, AmeriCorps Week is an opportunity to recognize the dedication and commitment of AmeriCorps members, AmeriCorps alumni and their community partners, and to reinforce responsibility, compassion, and tolerance as critical values for building a better Commonwealth;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Glenn Youngkin, do hereby recognize March 10-16, 2024, as AMERICORPS WEEK in our COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.