As you know, the Corporation for National and Community Service has been preparing for the launch of an exciting new summer service initiative in partnership with the White House. Today, in a video message, President Obama will officially announce the initiative, United We Serve, encouraging Americans to create meaningful change in their communities by engaging in service.

United We Serve will kick off on June 22 at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service and will run through the new National Day of Service and Remembrance on September 11. All the tools for participating in this initiative can be found on the Corporation’s website, Serve.gov. Please go there today, if you haven’t already, to post your own volunteer projects.

In addition, we encourage you to spread the word about United We Serve by:

• Sending a message about United We Serve, including a link to the President’s video, to your distribution lists
• Putting a link on your homepage to Serve.gov – banners and logos are available at http://www.serve.gov/link.asp
• Issuing a press release about your participation in United We Serve – a sample release is available at http://www.serve.gov/assets/documents/09_0616_sample_release.doc
• Sharing stories about how your volunteers are making a difference this summer at http://www.serve.gov/share.asp - we will highlight examples of exemplary service

Capacity is strained in community organizations across the country, so today we are also calling on Americans to take a leadership role in recruiting and organizing their friends, family, and neighbors to develop their own service projects that address pressing community needs in partnership with local organizations. To assist you, Serve.gov features toolkits for developing projects in education, health, energy and the environment, and community renewal.

To encourage participation in service this summer and beyond, the Serve.gov website features a volunteer matching platform called All For Good that allows people to search for volunteer opportunities based on location and interests. The site also allows users to sign in with their primary social network and includes social media tools to share volunteer opportunities with friends and see what activities they are participating in.

This will be a very exciting 81 days. But, of course, the call to service will not end on September 11. We hope that Americans who serve this summer will stay engaged in the ongoing work of strengthening our communities. America’s new foundation will be built through an ethic of service and the personal commitment of individuals willing to give of themselves to create a better future.

In Service,

Nicola Goren
Acting CEO
Corporation for National and Community Service