| | Dear Phillip,
In the last few weeks, with overwhelming bipartisan support, both the Senate and the House of Representatives passed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. The bill reauthorizes the Corporation for National and Community Service and its programs that help fund organizations, including Jumpstart, for the first time since 1993. This will help Jumpstart engage more citizens in service to prepare young children for school success. The following are only a few of the items included in this historic legislation that may benefit the children, families and communities that Jumpstart serves: - A dramatic expansion of service opportunities for Americans of all ages with an increase in the number of AmeriCorps members from 75,000 to 250,000
- A social innovation fund to provide necessary capital to bring innovative and evidence-based programs to scale
- An increase in the dollar amount of the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award that Jumpstart's Corps members receive to help fund their education, as well as an increase in the number of terms of service that Jumpstart Corps members are eligible to serve through AmeriCorps
In response to Congressional passage of the bill, President Obama released a statement that said, "Because of this legislation, millions of Americans at all stages of their lives will have new opportunities to serve their country." He also continues to call on all Americans to serve. The President is expected to sign the legislation into law next week. My personal thanks go out to Jumpstart staff, our partner organizations, and elected officials, who worked tirelessly together to pass the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. We are very eager to transform its mandates into action, and will keep you updated on our progress.
For more information on this historic legislation, please see a summary of the key provisions.
Thank you,
James Cleveland
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