Today’s post comes from Michelle Nunn, CEO of Points of Light Institute and co-founder of the HandsOn Network.

Last week, the president signed into law the Budget Control Act of 2011. The compromise calls for $917 billion in cuts over the next 10 years, and another $1.5 trillion in cuts could be identified through a 12-member bipartisan committee.

It is now apparent that many federal programs will be threatened with either significant spending reductions or elimination.

The Corporation for National and Community Service and the programs it administers – AmeriCorps, the Volunteer Generation Fund, Senior Corps and RSVP, VISTA and others – will be vulnerable in this environment.

Now is the time to act.

On Wednesday, Aug. 10, supporters of national service programs are once again visiting their elected representatives’ home offices to let them know the importance of national service in their communities and across the nation.

You can find and join a District Day event at the office of your member of Congress on the Save Service website. Along with District Day events near you, you’ll find information that you can share with your member of Congress about the impact of national service programs in your state.

If you’re not able to participate in a District Day event, please take the time to write or call your member of Congress and let them know why national service is important to you. You can find your representatives’ contact information here and your senators’ contact information here.

National service enables people to make meaningful contributions to their communities, build organizational capacity, generate community-based social capital and leverage more than 1.4 million additional adult volunteers to tackle some of America’s toughest social, environmental, educational and economic challenges.

Please join me in highlighting the importance of national service programs on August 10 by visiting, calling or writing your representatives.

 

In Service,

 

 

Michelle Nunn

CEO, Points of Light Institute

Co-founder, HandsOn Network