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We created this blog to share interesting advocacy related items that cross our desks. It can be anything from new research on funding for advocacy to examples of unusual advocacy strategies. If you have an item to share please send it to npaction@npaction.org.
NPAction Staff

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Community Service Gets a Big Push

The Chronicle of Philanthropy published an article yesterday highlighting the ServiceNation Summit that occurred last week. The summit of over 700 people emphasized the importance of community service. Over 100 different organizations that make up ServiceNation are now seeking to revive the kind of dedication to public service that President Kennedy inspired over four decades ago.

Legislation:

• Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) unveiled a piece of legislation drafted to drastically increase the number of participants in year-long national service programs like AmeriCorps.
• Senator Chris Dodd (D- Connecticut) announced two bills to promote community service: one to enlist high school students, and one to involve people 55 years of age and older.

Day of Action:

• Organizations across the country have planned more than 2,300 activities to highlight the ServiceNation cause and get people to sign what they call a "Declaration of Service."

Seeking Support from Lawmakers:

• Advocates are stressing that both Democrats and Republicans support national service.

The most impressive part of the summit was the appearances of both presidential candidates: John McCain and Barack Obama.