Rockefeller Foundation Supports Cities Of Service
Subscribe to the Blog RSS FeedCities of Service is an inspired initiative to boost volunteerism and solve problems in cities across America. It is going from strength to strength, with NY Mayor Michael Bloomberg setting the pace, supported by ServiceNation, HandsOn Network and AARP. As a reminder, here's a summary of the program from the website:
Founded in New York City on September 10, 2009, Cities of Service is a bipartisan coalition of mayors who are answering the historic Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act’s call to action. Cities – often at the front lines of our nation’s most pressing challenges – are perfectly positioned to engage millions more volunteers in service and to collaborate on strategies to increase the amount and impact of local service efforts. ServiceNation is a lead partner to Cities of Service, focused specifically on encouraging and supporting local nonprofits, funders, and other stakeholders to come together to encourage new mayors to sign onto the coalition’s Declaration of Principles.
Cities of Service will lead a multi-year effort to engage other Mayors across the country by:
- Developing a comprehensive service plan and a coordinated strategy focused on matching volunteers and established community partners to the areas of greatest local need.
- Working with other mayors and elected officials to advance strategies and best practices that accelerate the service movement and produce measurable results.
- Encouraging other mayors to join this national effort to engage our citizens.
- Ensuring that the voice of cities is heard in federal legislative, policy, and program discussions related to service, which will help the country achieve the ambitious goals of the Serve America Act.
So far, 23 Mayors have joined the program, but the big news is that the Rockefeller Foundation has just stepped in to give COS a major boost in the form of "Cities of Service Leadership Grants." Here's the gist (the full release is here):
The grants will be awarded to ten cities, on a competitive basis, whose mayors have committed to increase the amount and impact of service in their communities. Each recipient city will receive $200,000 over a two-year period for the specific purpose of hiring a Chief Service Officer, an individual who will lead local efforts on behalf of their city's mayor to develop and implement a comprehensive plan to increase volunteerism.
That's an incredible commitment to a program that could help change the face of service in America, and make a real difference in urban centers (interested Mayors can apply for a grant here). The Corporation for National and Community Service is also stepping in, to work with ServiceNation to organize a training program called "Building the Blueprint" that will take place Dec. 2-4 in Philadelphia. Included in the meeting will be sessions on creating a community service plan, lessons on making service part of the solution in their cities, and building capacity on the ground. Mayors simply need to enroll in Cities of Service prior to December 2nd, and The Corporation will be able to cover the cost of lodging for up to two people from each city. How's that for helping out?
Mayors are definitely getting into the service spirit. Just check out the service bet COS Mayors Bloomberg and Nutter made over the World Series. Here's Mayor Bloomberg speaking about Cities Of Service in September:
