Last Friday, Hoosiers from around the state took part in a nationwide ceremony to mark AmeriCorps’ 20th Anniversary. As part of the event, 130 new members took a pledge to “get things done for America,” at Fort Benjamin Harrison State Park.
The ceremony was part of a nationwide, simultaneous swearing-in of AmeriCorps members taking place. President Obama led the national ceremony and gave remarks to AmeriCorps members at the White House. From coast to coast 75,000 AmeriCorps members took their pledge, launching a new service year.
“Every day in communities across The Hoosier State, AmeriCorps members are helping to make Indiana a state that works,” said Scott B. Sanders, Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. “We are proud of their extraordinary accomplishments over the past 20 years, and are excited to welcome a new class as they embark on their year of service.”
AmeriCorps members serve at more than 25,000 locations from coast to coast, strengthening education, providing disaster services, fostering economic opportunity, assisting veterans and military families, preserving the environment, and expanding health services. While they serve others, AmeriCorps members expand opportunities for themselves by gaining skills, experience, and educational support to help jumpstart their careers. Since 1994, more than 13,000 Hoosier AmeriCorps members have served in excess of 17 million hours and earned more than $40 million in education awards to help pay for college or repay their student loans.
For more information, visit: in.gov/serveindiana