It’s AmeriCorps week, and we thought we’d take a day to point out why we love AmeriCorps and the great people that sign up to serve every year!

Dedication AmeriCorps members sign up because they want to make a change in their communities. The work is hard and the immediate rewards are low. AmeriCorps members tutor students, build homes, help to feed the hungry, work to restore the environment, and get things done for America. They do it because they understand the importance of volunteers in helping to build communities.

Drive AmeriCorps members are the hardest working folks in show business. AmeriCorps members are required to serve a certain number of hours during their service year and a lot of members meet that number before the end of their contact. This doesn’t mean that they get to stop working or they get any extra benefits for working more hours than they’re required to work. They keep working with the causes and organizations that they believe in and helping to run programs that serve clients that might not be served without the members’ work.

Ideas AmeriCorps members bring a new way of thinking to the organizations they work with. Just like AmeriCorps members get to be change agents in their communities, members get to be change agents in their organizations too. AmeriCorps members have started new programs that serve their organizations’ clients in ways that previously didn’t exist. They also bring skills to organizations that might not have been there before their service.

Achievement AmeriCorps members get things done for America. Whether it’s supporting programs that existed when they joined their organizations or starting new programs, AmeriCorps members help the organizations they serve with to meet the needs of more people than could have been helped without their service.

Continued Service Even after their terms of service, AmeriCorps members continue to get things done in their communities through their local AmeriCorps Alums chapters. Most major cities have Alums chapters (you can find a local chapter here) with Alums continuing to serve their communities after their terms of service are over.

These are only some of the reasons that we love AmeriCorps members. Why do you love AmeriCorps? Let us know in the comments!