On Tuesday April 9, 2013, the first-ever Mayors Day of Recognition for National Service united mayors across the country to spotlight the impact of national service and honor those who serve.
Altogether, 832 mayors in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico officially recognized the work that AmeriCorps members and Senior Corps volunteers are doing to make cities better and stronger. Together, these mayors represent nearly 100 million citizens, or nearly one-third of all Americans. You can read an initial catalogue of press and media coverage here.
This initiative was led by the Corporation for National and Community Service, Cities of Service, the National League of Cities, and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
In addition, a special thanks goes to Mayor Marie Lopez Rogers of Avondale, AZ, president of the National League of Cities; Mayor Scott Smith of Mesa, AZ, vice president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors; and Mayor Chris Coleman of St. Paul, MN, vice president of National League of Cities.
Our Facebook gallery features photos from recognition events all around the country. Feel free to tag yourself or your program, and share with your friends and family. And we want to share your stories too, so please send them to us MayorsForService@cns.gov.
Why a Day of Recognition?
As solution-focused local elected officials, mayors understand the key role citizens play in meeting community needs. A coordinated day of recognition presents a unique opportunity to spotlight the key role that national service plays in solving pressing problems. Participating in the day will highlight the importance of citizen service, bolster support for nonprofit and national service groups, and help bring more city residents into service.
Additional Resources
CNCS offers a variety of resources that can help mayors learn about service and volunteering in their cities and engage more city residents in service:
- Factsheet: Mayors Day of Recognition for National Service
- The annual Volunteering and Civic Life in in America report is the most comprehensive data on volunteering ever assembled, providing detailed information on volunteering trends and demographics in the U.S., all fifty states, and more than 150 major cities.
- Each year, CNCS produces National Service Profiles that list all national service resources in every state. CNCS will also produce profiles for cities in preparation for the Mayor’s Day of Recognition for National Service.
