PRINTER'S NO. 3731
No. 748 Session of 2008
INTRODUCED BY WHEATLEY, BAKER, BELFANTI, BISHOP, BOBACK,
BRENNAN, BROOKS, CALTAGIRONE, COHEN, DePASQUALE, DONATUCCI,
ELLIS, FAIRCHILD, FRANKEL, GALLOWAY, GEORGE, GERBER, GIBBONS,
GINGRICH, GOODMAN, GRUCELA, HELM, HENNESSEY, HERSHEY, HESS,
JAMES, KORTZ, KULA, LEVDANSKY, LONGIETTI, MAJOR, MANN, MANTZ,
MARSHALL, McCALL, McGEEHAN, McILHATTAN, MELIO, MILLARD,
MOYER, MUNDY, MUSTIO, M. O'BRIEN, PALLONE, PARKER, PAYNE,
PICKETT, QUINN, RAMALEY, READSHAW, ROSS, SAINATO, SANTONI,
SCAVELLO, SIPTROTH, M. SMITH, STURLA, VULAKOVICH, WATERS,
WOJNAROSKI, YOUNGBLOOD, DALEY, SWANGER, SEIP AND CONKLIN,
MAY 12, 2008
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
MAY 12, 2008
A RESOLUTION
1 Recognizing May 11 through 18, 2008, as "AmeriCorps Week" in
2 Pennsylvania.
3 WHEREAS, Since its creation in 1994, the AmeriCorps national
4 service program has proven to be a highly effective way to
5 engage Americans of all ages and backgrounds in meeting a wide
6 range of community needs and to promote the ethic of service and
7 volunteerism; and
8 WHEREAS, Each year, AmeriCorps, including AmeriCorps VISTA
9 and AmeriCorps NCCC, provides opportunities for 75,000 citizens
10 across this nation, including 25,619 in this Commonwealth, to
11 give back in an intensive way to communities; and
12 WHEREAS, AmeriCorps has strengthened America's independent
13 sector by investing more than $5 billion to support the efforts
1 of tens of thousands of nonprofit, community, educational and
2 faith-based community groups nationwide, and those grants have
3 leveraged hundreds of millions of additional funds and in-kind
4 donations from other sources; and
5 WHEREAS, In 2007, more than 1.7 million community volunteers
6 were recruited and supervised by AmeriCorps members,
7 demonstrating AmeriCorps' values as a powerful catalyst and
8 volunteer force multiplier; and
9 WHEREAS, AmeriCorps members have served a total of more than
10 705 million hours nationwide, including 32,149,523 hours of
11 service by people of this Commonwealth, helping to improve the
12 lives of this State's most vulnerable citizens, strengthening
13 the educational system, protecting the environment and
14 contributing to public safety; and
15 WHEREAS, AmeriCorps members nationwide, in return for their
16 service, have earned more than $1.4 billion in Segal AmeriCorps
17 Education Awards to use to further their own educational
18 advancement at colleges and universities, including $69,134,652
19 that have been awarded to residents of this Commonwealth; and
20 WHEREAS, AmeriCorps members, after their terms of service
21 end, remain engaged in our communities as volunteers, teachers,
22 public servants and nonprofit leaders in disproportionately high
23 levels; and
24 WHEREAS, "AmeriCorps Week," which will be celebrated May 11
25 through 18, 2008, is an opportune time for the people of this
26 Commonwealth to salute AmeriCorps members, past and present, for
27 their powerful impact and to thank all AmeriCorps community
28 partners in this Commonwealth who make the program possible and
29 bring more Americans into service; therefore be it
30 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate May 11
20080H0748R3731 - 2 -
1 through 18, 2008, as "AmeriCorps Week" in Pennsylvania and urge
2 all citizens to thank AmeriCorps members, past and present, for
3 their service to our communities.
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