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Issue #272
March 13, 2009

Action Alert! Sign On Letter Supporting the GIVE Act!

Thanks to the many individuals and organizations who sent letters to their members of Congress earlier this week, urging their support of H.R. 1388, the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act! The GIVE Act would reauthorize funding for the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) and the national service programs it supports, which has not had funding reauthorized in 16 years.

You now have the opportunity to join organizations from across the country in signing a national letter in support of the GIVE Act that will be sent to House Leadership, including Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Hoyer, and Minority Leader Boehner. A copy of the text of the letter is below. To show your organization's support of the GIVE Act, email Voices for National Service at info@voicesforservice.org to add your signature to this letter. Please note that Voices is collecting only organization names for the signature list, not names of individuals.

This letter will be sent to House Leadership on Monday at 9:00 a.m., so please respond by COB TODAY to add your organization's support to the letter! Thanks for your continual support of national service!

Letter

March 16, 2009

Dear Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Hoyer and Minority Leader Boehner,

Americans are stepping forward in record numbers to serve, many inspired by the bold vision articulated by President Obama, and all motivated to roll up their sleeves to address the mounting challenges we face in communities across the country.  Communities are struggling to meet the growing demand for services, due in large part to the economic downturn, and nonprofit organizations need human capital to meet the increasing needs of families struggling to make ends meet.

We are deeply grateful that the House Education and Labor Committee has recognized the pivotal moment we are in as a country and responded by passing H.R. 1388, The GIVE Act.  Service can play a critical role in getting our economy moving again, engaging Americans in productive work in difficult times and meeting the growing needs in communities.   We need to reinvest in service, starting with the reauthorization of national and community service programs operated by The Corporation for National and Community Service, which have not been reauthorized in 16 years.

We believe that the provisions in H.R. 1388 will make it possible for more Americans to serve, stimulate more volunteering and increase the diversity of those serving. We also believe that the reforms contained in the bill will ensure accountability, transparency, and results, while providing administrative simplification to help faith and community-based organizations-particularly those smaller nonprofits operating in rural areas and in economically disadvantaged communities-to more effectively meet community needs.

There are new approaches for expanding the capacity of the nonprofit sector to tap the ingenuity and innovation of citizens working together in local communities to address the problems we face.  Many of these ideas, including the Volunteer Generation Fund, are included in S.277, The Serve America Act, which was introduced by a bipartisan group of Senators led by Senators Kennedy and Hatch on January 16.  We look forward to working with the House to see that these new ideas, which we believe are essential elements of a new platform for highly effective service, are incorporated into the legislation that will ultimately be sent to President Obama for signature.

We look forward to working with you in the coming days to ensure swift and successful passage of H.R. 1388 on the House floor so that it can be quickly delivered to the President for signature. We also look forward to working with you to ensure that the legislation is fully funded through the appropriations process. 

Thank you for your leadership and commitment to service.

Sincerely,