FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Service Year Alliance released the following statement today in response to the markup of the FY18 budget by the Senate Labor-Health and Human Services and State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations subcommittees:

“We are relieved to see the Senate reject President Trump’s FY18 budget proposal and provide level funding for national service programs like AmeriCorps, the Peace Corps, and YouthBuild,” said Shirley Sagawa, CEO of Service Year Alliance. “Thanks to the bipartisan support from members of Congress, the 80,000 young people who are in Texas responding to Hurricane Harvey, in West Virginia battling the opioid crisis, in Montana and California fighting wildfires, and all across the country will be able to continue serving these communities in need. This is a critical step towards our goal of universal national service.”

[embedlycard url="http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/heal-america-start-national-service-article-1.3474918"]

[embedlycard url="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/americans-brought-back-new-orleans-they-can-do-the-same-for-houston/2017/09/07/5a8a471c-93c7-11e7-8754-d478688d23b4_story.html?utm_term=.b8030b0ca4c9"]

[embedlycard url="https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2017/09/01/importance-national-service-during-or-after-college-essay"]

This morning, an unprecedented number of dinosaurs took to the streets of Washington, DC to tell Congress to stop national service extinction. The hundreds of dinosaurs and national service advocates were present at 8 locations across the city. This included Dupont Circle, the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, and Union Station. The morning ended with a record number of dinosaurs rallying at the US Capitol. The campaign was in response to President Trump's 2018 budget proposal which threatens to eliminate national service programs like AmeriCorps and outlines the largest cut to the Peace Corps by a president in 40 years.

We have some good news from Capitol Hill:

Yesterday afternoon, the subcommittee in the House that oversees funding for national service programs like AmeriCorps and YouthBuild voted to approve their draft budget for 2018. Thanks to your hard work and dedication, the committee's draft budget rejects President Trump’s proposal to eliminate AmeriCorps, and fully funds both AmeriCorps and YouthBuild at their FY17 levels.

On behalf of the entire service year community: Thank you.

In New York City’s most high-crime neighborhoods, service year corps members with Green City Force are teaching their neighbors environmental sustainability practices — all the while learning essential job skills for the workforce. We teamed up with NationSwell to tell the story.

[embedlycard url="http://time.com/4824366/year-national-service-americorps-peace-corps/"]

WASHINGTON, DC - "Service Year Alliance applauds Rep. John Larson and Rep. John Lewis for their leadership making a year of service a common expectation and opportunity. The ACTION for National Service Act marks an important contribution to this goal", says Shirley Sagawa, CEO of the Service Year Alliance.

Pictured from left to right: General (Ret) Stanley A. McChrystal (Service Year Alliance Board Chairman), Rob Gordon (President of Be the Change, Inc.), Shirley Sagawa (CEO Service Year Alliance), Congressman John Lewis, Congresswoman Doris Matsui, Congressman Joe Kennedy III, AnnMaura Connolly (President of Voices for National Service) and Congressman John B. Larson

“The proposed budget cuts are taking us back to the stone age as a nation. They’re short-sighted and fail to address modern challenges or invest in the next generation of American leaders. In the name of all national service organizations we deeply condemn the proposed elimination of the Corporation for National and Community Service — including AmeriCorps — and the deep cuts to the Peace Corps. This budget is the latest in a series of reckless steps aiming to eliminate national service as we know it”, says Shirley Sagawa, CEO of the Service Year Alliance.