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AmeriCorps members supported by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)
| Trenton, NJ – Secretary of State Nina Mitchell Wells was joined by local economic development and education officials at the Community Charter School of Paterson (CCSP) for a roundtable discussion with AmeriCorps members on the importance of community service, and the profound effect volunteerism has on the growth and development of young people throughout New Jersey. The visit coincided with the State of New Jersey’s larger “October Month of Community Service” campaign, an effort to enhance volunteerism opportunities statewide while promoting the positive economic and social benefits of community service to communities. |
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This visit was significant on many levels,” noted Secretary Wells. “It supports Governor Corzine’s ongoing commitment to advance volunteerism opportunities and civic engagement statewide; particularly among young people, it promotes the great work of New Jersey’s AmeriCorps program, and highlights the indisputable link between community service, personal fulfillment and academic success. Hearing these stories only reinforces the need to further these initiatives in any way we can.” The AmeriCorps members in attendance had their positions created through funding appropriated by the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) signed into law by President Barack |
| Obama in February, and they will prove instrumental to facilitating the educational components within the New Jersey Community Development Corporation (NJCDC), the community-based organization that both founded and supports the Community Charter School of Paterson. |
| Secretary Wells heard firsthand from young AmeriCorps volunteers about their own unique personal experiences, and explored such topics as what draws young people to national service; the needs of AmeriCorps volunteers within their own educational development; how the state and community-based organizations can further assist young people; the value of mentoring; and effective promotional strategies the public and private sector can utilize to expand volunteerism and community service. Secretary Wells also toured the grounds of the newly renovated, 34,000-square-foot Community Charter School located within Paterson’s Great Falls Historic District, and addressed the school’s 4th grade students on her personal experiences in education, leadership and service. |
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The “October Month of Community Service” campaign comes on the heels of a Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) study released this summer that saw New Jersey claim a top 5 ranking among states with the largest nationwide increase in volunteering between September 2007 and September 2008, along with Nevada, Utah, Arizona and Nebraska. These states all enjoyed increases of 3 percent or higher. Most impressively, the CNCS report found that New Jersey’s increase accounted for roughly 20 percent of the rise in adult volunteers nationwide. |
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