[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 119 (Wednesday, September 11, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1283]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


         RECOGNIZING AMERICORPS ON THEIR TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY

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                           HON. DEREK KILMER

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 11, 2013

  Mr. KILMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the national service 
organization AmeriCorps on its twentieth anniversary. AmeriCorps has 
provided young Americans with the opportunity to meet critical needs in 
the communities in which they work.
   AmeriCorps partners with nonprofit organizations, government 
agencies, schools, and faith-based organizations to support intensive 
community service work. AmeriCorps was first formed under President 
Clinton in 1993 as a part of the Corporation for National and Community 
Service. Since its inception, 800,000 people have taken the AmeriCorps 
oath, with about 80,000 now serving annually.
   Mr. Speaker, AmeriCorps members are hard at work in my district and 
all across the country. They tutor students in junior and high schools. 
They work directly with families to help them overcome barriers to 
employment. They advocate for victims of domestic violence. They teach 
CPR classes. In short, AmeriCorps members are making a difference and 
are strengthening communities.
   Not only do communities benefit from AmeriCorps--so do the 
participants. These young people are able to work side-by-side with 
local community partners on issues that are important to them. 
AmeriCorps functions as a framework for how individual citizens 
motivated to public service can come together and make a difference in 
a tangible way.
   AmeriCorps has demonstrated remarkable successes over the last 20 
years; I look forward to more accomplishments and more impact over the 
next 20 years. I am hopeful that a new task force created by President 
Obama earlier this year can help identify new ways that AmeriCorps can 
employ members' talent and ingenuity to further national priorities. As 
Martin Luther King, Jr., once said, ``Everyone can be great because 
everyone can serve.''
   Mr. Speaker, I would like to close by extending my gratitude for the 
hard work AmeriCorps members are doing by serving and making America 
even greater.

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