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Washington, DC, April 30, 2024 – In recognition of her strong support for AmeriCorps, Voices for National Service announced today that Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) will receive the Distinguished Service Award at the 21st Annual Friends of National Service Awards on Tuesday, May 7, 2024, in Washington, DC. The award comes as AmeriCorps celebrates its 30th anniversary.
Voices for National Service advocates for public support of AmeriCorps programs that respond to the country’s most immediate and pressing challenges from natural disasters to education, supporting veterans, and more. The Distinguished Service Award is given to a member of Congress who prioritizes national service funding and legislation to expand high-quality opportunities for citizens to serve their communities and our country.
“Senator Hyde-Smith is a champion for the role national service programs play in strengthening communities and developing leaders, and she has elevated AmeriCorps and service as a solution to some of our nation’s most pressing problems,” said AnnMaura Connolly, President of Voices for National Service. “In recognition of her leadership, Voices for National Service is honored to present Senator Hyde-Smith with our Distinguished Service Award.”
Working to improve and leverage AmeriCorps, Senator Hyde-Smith has cosponsored the CORPS Act, a bill to expand AmeriCorps to help communities and states overcome the unprecedented hardships created by the coronavirus pandemic. The Senator serves on the powerful Appropriations subcommittee that oversees funding for AmeriCorps and has used her platform to elevate AmeriCorps and service as a solution to some of our nation’s most urgent challenges and push for its expansion. She sponsored a congressional resolution commemorating the 9/11 National Day of Service and she regularly visits with AmeriCorps members and program directors in Mississippi and DC, including at the AmeriCorps NCCC Southern Campus in Vicksburg.
“AmeriCorps, like the many groups in Voices for National Service, thrives based on an understanding of the great value in community and volunteerism. AmeriCorps volunteers work to positively transform the communities, and in turn, the communities change the volunteer. Their investments of their time, effort, and dedication yield amazing benefits that last beyond years. Mississippi is so grateful for all of the work done by AmeriCorps in our state over the years,” Senator Hyde-Smith said.
A short video with voices from Mississippi – available here – outlines how Senator Hyde-Smith has helped to raise public awareness of AmeriCorps and elevated service as a solution to some of the nation’s most pressing problems. You are welcome to embed the video in any coverage.
Annually, approximately 1,700 members of AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors are serving in Mississippi, responding to the state’s most immediate and critical needs. They are serving at more than 200 locations across the state including schools, food banks, homeless shelters, health clinics, veterans’ facilities, and other local nonprofit, faith-based, and community organizations. The AmeriCorps agency has invested more than $17.5 million in federal funding to support cost-effective community solutions in Mississippi, working hand-in-hand with local partners to empower individuals to help communities tackle their toughest challenges. Through this public-private partnership, every $1 Congress invests in AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors returns more than $17 in benefits to our country. The program, which both Republican and Democratic presidents have supported since its inception, is in its 30th year.
Senator Hyde-Smith joins a bipartisan group of 13 distinguished government leaders being honored this year. See the full list of awardees here.