Service Year Alliance announced today the recipients of the 2025 Service Year Alums Awards. The 11 honorees served at least one term in a national service program, including AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps, and displayed exceptional post-service achievement and community impact.

WASHINGTON, DC (June 12, 2025) - Service Year Alliance, a national nonprofit organization working to make a year of paid, full-time service — a service year — a common expectation and opportunity for all young Americans, announced today the recipients of the 2025 Service Year Alums Awards. This annual recognition honors alums of service year programs, including AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, and YouthBuild, for their achievements during their service year and beyond. 

This year’s awards theme - A year of service. A lifetime of impact. - highlights the many ways alums embrace their service year experience to develop new skills, build connections, and pursue new career or post-service volunteer pathways. 

“Service years are a platform for lifelong personal growth and professional success,” said Kristen Bennett, CEO of Service Year Alliance. “Each awardee exemplifies the many ways a year - or more - of service can provide a launch pad to a new profession, academic interest, or long-term volunteer role. Their commitment to strengthening communities and addressing our nation’s toughest challenges make them powerful role models for all Americans.”

Service Year Alliance released the following statement today in response to the U.S District Court’s temporary block on AmeriCorps’ cancellation of grants and early discharge of corps members.

WASHINGTON, DC (June 5, 2025) - Earlier today, a federal judge ordered the restoration of funds to AmeriCorps programs impacted by recent grant terminations. This decision applies only to plaintiffs in the case: 24 states and Washington, DC*. The injunction also calls for dismissed AmeriCorps NCCC members to return to service.

This is a significant result that corrects the immediate and devastating effects of the arbitrary decisions that led to this lawsuit. AmeriCorps is good for America and consistently delivers a triple-bottom line of value to our country: service years transform lives, strengthen our communities, and bring our citizens together in ways that fuel civic renewal.

The nonprofit, nonpartisan Service Year Alliance released the following statement today in response to the dismissal of AmeriCorps staff and termination of nearly $400 million in AmeriCorps grants.

WASHINGTON, DC (April 26, 2025) - This past week, additional steps were taken at the direction of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to dismantle AmeriCorps and defund the service programs that care for our communities and put Americans to work.

On Thursday, a significant number of staff began receiving notifications that their employment will be terminated, effective June 24. This layoff followed a decision last week to place most of the agency’s staff on paid, administrative leave. Taken together, the agency - as it is currently resourced - cannot deliver on its commitments as the federal agency for national service and volunteerism and primary sponsor of service years.

Additionally, on Friday evening, close to $400 million in grants were rescinded from AmeriCorps grantees. This funding enabled more than 1,000 nonprofit organizations and civic institutions nationwide to host AmeriCorps members and Seniors volunteers. Without this funding, nearly 33,000 corps members and Seniors volunteers could be affected.

The nonprofit, nonpartisan Service Year Alliance released the following statement today in response to AmeriCorps NCCC Member Demobilization and Federal Staff Reductions:

WASHINGTON, DC (April 17, 2025) - Dismantling AmeriCorps, the federal agency responsible for national service and volunteerism, puts Americans out of work, hurts Americans in need of the critical assistance that service years provide, and fractures the already fragile lines of connection that bridge our divides.

More than 200,000 Americans serve through AmeriCorps State and National programs, AmeriCorps VISTA, AmeriCorps NCCC, and AmeriCorps Seniors each year. The decisions to demobilize with AmeriCorps NCCC, including FEMA Corps, and to put nearly all staff at AmeriCorps agency headquarters on paid administrative leave, unfairly punishes corps members for their desire to help their neighbors and serve our country. Nine-in-ten corps members join AmeriCorps to help solve a community need or challenge. More than six-in-ten say they join to fulfill their duty as citizens of our country.

This action comes while AmeriCorps members are on the front lines of some of the most pressing challenges facing our country. At this moment, AmeriCorps members are actively serving communities nationwide, delivering relief to towns and cities impacted by natural disasters, working in food pantries and shelters for survivors of domestic abuse, helping students succeed in the classroom, providing essential care to our veterans and military families, and more.

Service Year Alliance released the following statement in response to the demobilization of AmeriCorps NCCC: 

“Service Year Alliance is actively monitoring the latest news being reported about the AmeriCorps agency, and the demobilization of members associated with AmeriCorps NCCC, a program that for more than 30 years has brought together young adults to deliver frontline service to communities across the country. 

“National service, which is largely administered through AmeriCorps, is a strategic investment in America’s future. Year after year, AmeriCorps is one of the best investments our country makes in terms of dollar-for-dollar value generated and taxpayer savings, in addition to the life-changing experience service provides to those who serve. 

“We are committed to understanding the full nature of these actions, and to working with federal, state and local leaders and champions of national service to preserve this vital opportunity for current and future generations of Americans.”

Service Year Alliance CEO Kristen Bennett was a guest on the "Explain It to Me" podcast from Vox. Listen on Apple or Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

For decades, high schools and parents have prioritized college for all graduating seniors. Now, more students are asking if there's another way. 

For thousands of young people each year, service years provide a platform to gain skills, build personal and professional networks, and be of service to the community. Service Year Alliance CEO Kristen Bennett joined the episode to share why service years are an increasingly important option for Gen Z and Gen Alpha as they navigate the post-high school landscape. 

Reed & Young Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Promote Service & Boost Civic Engagement

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In an effort to bring Americans together through service to the nation and their fellow citizens, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Todd Young (R-IN) reintroduced legislation that would create a whole of government approach to addressing military, national, and public service needs.

This legislation is based on recommendations published by the bipartisan National Commission on Military, National and Public Service that Senator Reed and the late Senator John McCain established to review the military selective service process and consider methods to increase participation in military, national, and other public service to address the needs of the nation. 

This legislation is endorsed by the Service Year Alliance, America’s Service Commissions, Voices for National Service, and With Honor Action.

“Service Year Alliance was proud to support the Unity Through Service Act when it was introduced, and we remain champions for the passage of this legislation today,” said Kristen Bennett, Chief Executive Officer of Service Year Alliance. “Americans want to serve, and it’s paramount that we bridge our efforts on military, national, and public service, as the Unity Through Service Act calls for, to best harness this goodwill for our shared future. As advocates for national service, we know that service years develop leaders, build skills for success in a changing economy, and offer solutions for creating more resilient communities — and we should be doing everything in our power to make it an opportunity for all. The Unity Through Service Act is a vital next step that brings us closer to achieving this vision.”

This week marks an important milestone in the history of national service in our country and in my service year journey. On December 12, 1964, President Lyndon Johnson welcomed the first Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA). In remarks shared at the occasion, the president stated, “You have come from every part of this country, from every age group, from every background…to open the door of American opportunity to all of our American people."
 
At a moment when it seems like there are more opportunities than ever to retreat into our respective bubbles, service years stand apart.
 
I answered the call to serve as an AmeriCorps VISTA in 2008, and despite well-over one million Americans having served in national service programs like AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, and YouthBuild, a lack of accessible pathways for young people to participate in service stifles their potential. Just imagine the transformative power if every high school graduate were not only aware of the benefits of a service year but also had access to one.
 
At Service Year Alliance, we’re dedicated to making this vision a reality. Throughout 2024, we redoubled our efforts to make service years more accessible through innovations tied to both the corps member and alumni experiences, and by unlocking additional federal and state resources to grow the number of positions available each year.

Service Year Alliance today released policy recommendations for the next U.S. presidential administration, elected officials, and policymakers that advance our vision to make national service a part of growing up in America.

This is a consequential moment to make a profound impact on young Americans and the future of our country. That is why we urge the next administration, along with elected officials and policymakers, to champion a year of paid, full-time civilian national service — a service year — that is accessible for young Americans of all backgrounds, addresses the most pressing challenges facing local communities, inspires civic engagement and social cohesion, and puts the next generation on a pathway to good-paying jobs or higher education.

Download Policy Recommendations

Today, America is grappling with existential questions about the future - about the economy, the environment, the potential for the next generation to earn and maintain fulfilling and family-sustaining careers, and our collective ability to come together as a country.

It’s time to rethink the role young people play in solving these key challenges. But we can’t just look to the next generation and expect them to solve issues that are deeply embedded in our culture. Instead, we must empower them with new ways to lead and pave a path toward a future where they are prepared to become the future employers, politicians, educators, neighbors, engaged citizens, and leaders that America needs.

Service Year Alliance released the following statement congratulating the winners of the 2024 AmeriCorps Alums Segal Leadership Award:

Service Year Alliance today announced, in partnership with the Eli J. & Phyllis N. Segal Citizen Leadership Program, the winners of the 2024 AmeriCorps Alums Segal Leadership Award, Ms. Julia Garcia and Ms. Priscilla Miller. The Segal Program provides emerging leaders an opportunity to join a community of other like-minded changemakers. As lifelong Segal Fellows, Ms. Garcia and Ms. Miller will take part in professional development, leadership resources, and a powerful community with which to continue their growth and impact as agents for social change. The two awardees were selected from an incredible group of over 65 inspiring applicants from across the country who all demonstrated the power of national service to change lives.

Julia Garcia is a 2024 AmeriCorps Alums Segal Fellow. Her passion for service is rooted in her dedication to creating sustainable and equitable communities through environmental justice. As a CivicSpark AmeriCorps Fellow with the Los Angeles County Internal Service Department’s Clean Energy Program, Julia led the design and deployment of an inclusive rollout strategy for the county’s 10-year EV charging station plan. At California State University, Long Beach, she currently serves as the Sustainable Transportation Coordinator. Julia is pursuing a double Master’s Degree in Infrastructure Management and Planning, Sustainable Transportation from the University of Washington.

Priscilla Miller is a 2024 AmeriCorps Alums Segal Fellow. As a three-time AmeriCorps member, Priscilla has dedicated herself to making a positive impact in her community and beyond. As an AmeriCorps Operation UNITE service corps member, Priscilla provided math instruction and drug prevention education to elementary school students using the “Too Good for Drugs” curricula. As part of the Kentucky Students for Disaster Readiness and Resiliency Corps (KY Ready Corps), she helped Kentucky communities prepare for and respond to natural disasters. Most recently, through the Kentucky Public Health AmeriCorps, Priscilla serves as a community health advocate, promoting harm reduction and suicide prevention resources as well as public benefits including supplemental food programs for women, infants, and children (WIC).