Serving community and country is worth the national investment

DURING the 2015 wildfire season, more than 100 AmeriCorps members and staff supported response and recovery efforts in Washington.

To address child-care shortages resulting from teacher strikes, 84 City Year corps members operated emergency day camps through the Seattle Parks Department. In response to the drying up of rivers and streams this summer, Washington Conservation Corps AmeriCorps members deepened channels to allow salmon to make their annual run upstream. Last year, 56 Washington Reading Corps members provided tutoring to 1,781 struggling readers. If the Cascadia fault were to trigger a massive earthquake, Federal Emergency Management Agency Corps members would likely be among the first responders.

Unfortunately, the important work being done by AmeriCorps members is threatened by aggressive funding cuts proposed in the most recent U.S. House budget. The House’s proposed 42 percent budget cut to AmeriCorps’s parent agency, the Corporation for National and Community Service, would eliminate specific sub-programs, such as the FEMA Corps and National Civilian Community Corps, which rapidly deploy teams of trained, energetic young adults across the country to address some of our most pressing needs. While Congress passed a stopgap spending bill this week to avert a government shutdown, policy experts expect a similar national service budget cut proposal when Congress considers a final budget bill in December.

AmeriCorps is a national service program that provides Americans structured opportunities to serve their communities. AmeriCorps members are matched with nonprofit organizations or local government agencies to work on pressing issues, including disaster services, economic opportunity, education, environmental stewardship, healthy futures and veterans and military families. In exchange for a term of service, typically 1,700 hours, full-time AmeriCorps members receive a modest living stipend and a $5,730 education award that may be applied to future college costs or existing student loans. While the program is open to anyone 17 years of age or older, it typically attracts young individuals at the beginning of their careers, or those interested in a career change.

As a former AmeriCorps volunteer, I can attest to the transformative power of service. My two years in the National Civilian Community Corps influenced my educational path, career choices and provided me with a sense of purpose at an important moment in my life.

However, what has really convinced me of the value of these programs is watching my former students have similar formative experiences. My students report having a better understanding of problems affecting their communities, demonstrate a willingness to roll up their sleeves to tackle tough public issues and have a far better understanding of how the world works. They also describe their AmeriCorps experiences as life-changing.

My research, along with findings by my colleagues, suggests that service is infectious and creates lasting impacts on those who serve. And Americans want the opportunity to serve: In 2011, there were 586,000 AmeriCorps applications for only 80,000 positions, meaning that more than 86 percent of applications were denied.

Congress will be debating where AmeriCorps fits into the constellation of public programs aimed at producing public good. I hope that Washington Democratic U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, who has previously advocated for national service, will continue to provide leadership as a member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations committees. I also call on other elected officials to not only fund AmeriCorps programs, but also to deliver on the promise to expand this program in the unfunded Serve America Act.

In an era of complex problems amid financial uncertainty, few programs demonstrate the ability to produce so many positive outcomes. Proven national-service programs like AmeriCorps truly are a public-policy silver bullet.

We should be searching for the upper bound of these programs, rather than continually threatening to eliminate or gut them.