March 12-18, 2023: AmeriCorps Week

WHEREAS, service is a hallmark of the American character and has the unique ability to bring people of all backgrounds together in common cause, and throughout our history citizens have stepped up to meet our most pressing challenges of the day by volunteering in their communities; and,

WHEREAS, AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors programs provide opportunities for more than 200,000 Americans to serve their country through service at nonprofits, schools, public agencies, and community and faith-based groups across the country; and,

WHEREAS, in Michigan more than 8,000 AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers of diverse ages and backgrounds helped to meet local needs at more than 1,500 locations in the Michigan by responding to COVID-19, tutoring or mentoring children and youth, supporting veterans and military families, combatting the opioid epidemic, restoring the environment, and responding to disasters; and,

WHEREAS, AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers encourage collaboration and partnerships, leveraging millions of volunteers in service and acquiring the support of business, foundation, and other local partners to increase the effectiveness of their initiatives; and,

WHEREAS, AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors programs bring people together across race, age, and zip code to address critical issues facing the country, forge relationships and cultivate mutual respect, and help build resilient and thriving communities; and,

WHEREAS, AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers demonstrate commitment, dedication, and patriotism by making an intensive commitment to service, a commitment that remains with them in their future endeavors; and, 

WHEREAS, through their service, AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers strengthen the lives of their families, communities, and the Michigan as a whole; and, 

WHEREAS, national service represents a unique public-private partnership that invests in community solutions and leverages non-federal resources to strengthen community impact and increase the return on taxpayer dollars; and WHEREAS, AmeriCorps Week is an opportunity to recognize the dedication and commitment of the more than 1.2 million Americans who have chosen to serve their country through AmeriCorps and millions more who have served in AmeriCorps Seniors and their community partners, and to encourage more Americans to follow their footsteps in service;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Gretchen Whitmer, governor of Michigan, do hereby proclaim March 12 – 18, 2023, as AmeriCorps Week in Michigan.