Serve America Together is a project of Service Year Alliance. We are building the first coalition of its kind across military and civilian service lines calling for universal national service.
If you’d like more information about joining the coalition, please contact [email protected].
"We believe that national service can be a pathway to a more equal, more united, and more civically engaged country, and we are enthusiastic about challenging every 2020 presidential candidate to bring national service opportunities to scale.”
- (Ret.) General Stan McChrystal, Chairperson of Service Year Alliance
“Student veterans are no strangers to leadership. They served the nation once before and are now preparing to serve again. Regardless of each person’s unique path to service, we know that this generation of Americans is poised to lead our country to a brighter future through national service. This will help us bridge our differences and solve the complex problems of tomorrow.” – Jared S. Lyon, National President and CEO, Student Veterans of America
“At The Mission Continues, we are on a mission to help veterans continue their service by connecting them to under-resourced communities. We’ve proven the power of veteran-led, collective action to address challenges in schools, neighborhoods and parks,” Mary Beth Bruggeman, US Marine Corps veteran and Vice President, Program Strategy, The Mission Continues, “And we’re honored to be a strategic partner in Serve America Together to build a movement of national service. Service to our country is core to a veteran’s identity—this campaign demonstrates it can be part of every American's identity.”
"The National Peace Corps Association is delighted to join with Service Year Alliance and our friends in civil society in support of the Serve America Together Campaign. From neighborhood challenges to international upheaval, we believe that service is the solution. Our citizens deserve an opportunity to serve their communities and country, and the dearth of high-impact volunteer programs wastes the patriotic drive of Americans who want to improve the world around them. Together we can make tangible impacts for the greater good by answering this call to service."
"Service of low income youth to their own community is a core element of the YouthBuild experience. Opportunity youth like those in YouthBuild and in thousands of lower income communities are ready to serve, but they face practical barriers that can be overcome with a national commitment to service for all."
"National service builds stronger communities, stronger individuals, and builds understanding among diverse populations," said Mary Ellen Sprenkel, President and CEO of The Corps Network. "Every year, thousands of young adults from different backgrounds help improve our public lands and communities through Service and Conservation Corps. By serving alongside each other towards a common goal, these young people complete impactful projects and gain valuable work experience, but they also have invaluable opportunities to learn about other people and develop skills in communication and teamwork. The social fabric of our country would be stronger if all young adults were afforded the opportunity to participate in national service."
- Mary Ellen Sprenkel, The Corps Network
"Catholic Volunteer Network believes in the transformative power of full-time, faith-based volunteer service. We also believe in supporting other approaches to service. To empower volunteers, foster meaningful relationships, and strengthen communities transforms people and our world. With the Serve America Together campaign, Service Year Alliance is allowing partners to be part of an important conversation and effort. SYA is giving focus to the vision and strengths of many. CVN is thankful for this leadership. We are committed to working with the coalition to increase the impact of volunteer service – and to transforming even more lives."
- Yonce Shelton, Catholic Volunteer Network
"City Year's work to support student and school success is fueled by national service--every day, our AmeriCorps members partner with teachers to prepare students with the skills and mindsets to thrive in school and in life. We believe that national service builds a more equitable, just and hopeful future by creating environments where each person has a chance to fully develop and thrive, and we're proud to partner with Serve America Together to ensure that everyone who wants to serve has the opportunity to do so."
"As veterans we know the power of service and what it means for our great nation, but serving your country need not just be about putting on the uniform, it's about coming together in a variety of ways in the name of the common good. That 's what Serve America Together stands for."
- Bishop Garrison, Veterans for American Ideals
“States for Service is proud to join forces with Serve America Together to bring national service opportunities like AmeriCorps to all Americans across the United States and its territories. Service can be a ‘magic bullet’ for social good – not just for the person serving others or the communities being served, but as a larger strategy for states to tackle their toughest emerging needs, from disaster resiliency to economic growth and educational inequity. Serve America Together is about uniting all Americans through a culture of service across party lines and state lines.”
- Tom Branen, Chief Policy Officer, States for Service, an initiative of America’s Service Commissions
“We are proud to partner with Serve America Together because we believe that Federal government support could make volunteer service a more viable option for more young people. And while the benefits of full-time service may be obvious to many of us in this field, the nonprofits that we partner with would only benefit from public and private sector signaling that a service experience is valued or even preferred experience.
Every day, the service year corps members we place in nonprofits are on the front lines of addressing the social and economic issues in the communities they serve. Having access to full-time corps members who provide a continuum of services to those in need adds valuable capacity to help these organizations meet their missions and a transformative experience for the young people who choose to serve.”
"Every year more than 75,000 young Americans serve their nation through AmeriCorps. Their patriotic service lifts up communities and helps them develop as leaders and citizens, but they are still the exception. At this critical time in our nation, we must realize the full potential of national service and effectively meet the needs of our country by making a year of service a common expectation and opportunity for all. Voices for National Service is pleased to support the Serve America Together Campaign to help turn this vision into reality.”
- AnnMaura Connolly, President, Voices for National Service
"Repair the World is thrilled to partner with Service Year Alliance to join the Serve America Together Campaign. At Repair, we mobilize young Jews across the country to volunteer locally, with and for their neighbors. We've seen first hand how service can be a powerful act of solidarity across communities, and how when we show up for one another, bridges between communities can be built. Repair the World is the direct translation of tikkun olam, a Jewish concept that calls us all to leave the world a better place than we found it. Service is core to making that happen, and we're honored to amplify the power of service and build a national movement for it with Serve America Together."
"At America Forward we work to unite social innovators with policymakers to advance a public policy agenda that champions innovative and effective solutions to out country's most pressing social challenges and translates local impact into national change. We are proud to be a strategic partner in Serve America Together, as we recognize the key role national service plays in addressing some of our nation's greatest challenges," said Deborah Smolover, Executive Director of America Forward and a Managing Partner at New Profit. "National service programs play a critical role in communities across the country -- from improving reading scores of low income students to increasing high school graduation and college access rates in under-resourced communities. National service addresses human capital deficits, increases civic engagement, and serves as a pathway to opportunity. America Forward and our community of innovators believes national service should become an embedded part of the American experience."
"Asking young people to be participants and leaders in the community is an essential to creating the conditions of success for every young person. That’s why America’s Promise is so pleased to join in the Serve America Together campaign. We need to ask every young person in this country to serve, and we need to meet their willingness to help with real opportunities. That is part of America’s Promise"
“National service has never been more important. Those who choose national service not only make a profound impact on the lives of people in their communities, but help strengthen the entire country. And at a time when our country often feels so divided, by bringing together Americans with diverse backgrounds but a common purpose, national service is a powerful force for greater cooperation and understanding that makes our country stronger.”
"Civic Health Project is a proud supporter of the Serve America Together Campaign. As an organization devoted to reducing toxic partisan polarization, we believe national service can play a transformative role in bridging our partisan divides and uniting Americans of different backgrounds and views around common goals. At a moment when our country feels painfully divided, national service offers tremendous potential for civic renewal and scalable impact on the problem of polarization.”
"Out in National Security is dedicated to a more just, inclusive, equitable, and accessible America, a vision which extends to national service. The history of LGBTQIA+ Americans in service to their nation has often been painful and used to deny us full citizenship. Barring our community from the civic life of the nation has hurt LGBTQIA+ Americans and impoverished the soul of the Republic. ONS is proud to partner with Service Year Alliance for a better future. Making national service achievable for LGBTQIA+ Americans from diverse communities and backgrounds in a way that activates, engages, and respects Americans from all communities and all walks of life. That corrects the mistakes of the past and is a path towards a more perfect union."
"Each and every day, Jewish Family and Children’s Services witnesses the enduring role that service can play in young people’s journeys of self-discovery. We are honored to join with Serve America Together in expanding opportunities for youth to grow personally and professionally by giving back, especially at this time of heightened community need. Our work depends on the energy and ingenuity of young people to serve our most vulnerable clients by distributing food, conducting wellness checks, and tutoring students. In partnership with other Serve America Together members and guided by our Jewish values, we are excited to participate in this campaign to open the possibility of service to more youth and build a stronger America."
"National service can fulfill our shared sense of purpose and realize our promise to become a nation of neighbors, one in which every American, regardless of birthplace, can belong and thrive. Welcoming America is honored to join this campaign, and ensure that new and longtime Americans alike can come together in service toward a healthier, more just, and prosperous world."
"For 24 years PeaceJam has introduced more than a million young people to service learning principles and practice. Our Executive Director, Kate Cumbo, came to PeaceJam through her leadership in Learn and Serve America. Our 14 Nobel Laureates also appreciate the importance of national service in preparing our youth to become agents for positive change."
"Amizade believes that there is no better pathway to a more engaged and empathetic country than through the power of service. Now, more than ever, we need to come together, get inspired, and build more just and joyful neighborhoods. The Serve America Together Campaign is a bold step towards that brighter future, and Amizade's 26,000 alums are prepared to help grow and lead the movement for universal national service."
"If there is one thing that reminds us how much we all have in common as Americans, it is when we are serving our communities. We are proud to be a partner on this work."
"Toxic polarization—the way we’ve come to demonize each other across differences—is a grave threat to all Americans, our families, our communities, and our country. There is no more powerful way to transform division and contempt into connection and understanding than by serving America together. The #ListenFirst Coalition of 300+ organizations bridging divides is proud to join the call for universal national service."
"Avodah is proud to partner with Service Year Alliance to join the Serve America Together Campaign. Through our year-long Service Corps program, Avodah equips young Jewish professionals with the motivation, knowledge, tools, and networks they need to advance social justice. Avodah translates to "work, worship, and service" - and by committing a year of work and service, we aim to live out our Jewish values of justice and help build a better world. We do this in deep partnership with front-line organizations working on the most pressing issues of our time including; immigration and refugees, healthcare access, housing and food insecurity, domestic violence and sex trafficking, criminal justice reform, and much more. Avodah has trained and supported more than 1,300 people so that they can contribute their skills and passion to advance social justice organizations and Jewish communities across the country and we are honored to do this work in collaboration with Serve America Together."
"Lead For America is thrilled to partner with Serve America Together to help create community-centered service programs for our most passionate and capable young people to help make their communities strong, vibrant, and compassionate. We strongly believe that engaging homegrown talent where it's needed most can transform communities and our country."
"We firmly believe that a healthy and equitable civil society is a necessary condition to ensure all people in the U.S. thrive. That is why Independent Sector, a community of nonprofit and foundation leaders, is honored to be a part of the Serve America Together coalition working to ensure that our national service programs are stronger, more responsive to challenges, and more equitable and accessible for all communities and service members.”
