JOHN WALSH

(U.S. SENATE)—Senator John Walsh today celebrated the 20^th anniversary of the creation of AmeriCorps, a civil service program that unites volunteers with non-profit and government organizations to meet community needs.

“The AmeriCorps program has partnered with countless organizations, helping meet essential needs in communities across Montana,” Walsh said.  “The volunteers who serve not only help others in need, but develop valuable skills that they will carry for life.  AmeriCorps is a uniquely American way to connect citizens to public service and I look forward to the next twenty years of service.”

In August, Walsh met with the Montana Conservation Corps “Veteran Green Corps Crew,” a group of AmeriCorps volunteers made up entirely of veterans doing forestry restoration work in Stillwater County.

AmeriCorps involves 16 programs in Montana, including the Montana Conservation Corps, SeniorCorps, Montana Campus Compact, and Montana FoodCorps.

Each year over 80,000 Americans join AmeriCorps and since 1994, and more than 900,000 AmeriCorps members have contributed more than 1.2 billion hours of community service.  Over the past 20 years more than 7,900 AmeriCorps members have performed 7.4 million hours of service in Montana.

The Montana Community Service Commission oversees the AmeriCorps programs in Montana.  Walsh served on the Commission from 2003-2006.