Senator Coons honored with Outstanding National Service Advocacy Award

Voices for National Service recognized Senator Coons Tuesday for his exemplary leadership and advocacy of national service as a state and federal priority, awarding him their Outstanding National Service Advocacy Award.

At the organization’s 11^th Annual Friends of National Service Reception, Chris spoke to a packed room of service champions about the role of national service in helping the nation meet its toughest challenges. The reception, which also celebrated the 20^th anniversary of AmeriCorps, allowed Senator Coons to reflect on his personal involvement with the organization. 

“AmeriCorps has given Americans immense opportunities over the past 20 years to use our talents to build stronger communities,” Chris said. “It’s because of your work and dedication that the service movement has come so far – closer to a day when it will be commonplace for any American to ask his or her neighbor ‘Where do you serve?’”

During AmeriCorps’ first years, Chris worked with a small group of individuals with the national “I Have a Dream Foundation” to build the organization’s AmeriCorps program. Chris currently serves as a member of the National Service Congressional Caucus, where he joins with Democrats and Republicans to fight for expanded national service opportunities. This year’s award was Chris’ second from Voices for National Service – in 2012, he received the Outstanding New Member Award for elevating national service as a legislative priority.

Voices for National Service is a coalition of national, state, and individual service programs that aims to give Americans of all ages the opportunity to volunteer and serve. Founded in 2003, Voices for National Service works with well-known service organizations to engage bipartisan efforts to meet policy needs through volunteerism and service.  

Senator Coons recognizes work of UD’s Engineers Without Borders

Senator Coons was pleased to join the Caesar Rodney Rotary Club Friday to congratulate the University of Delaware’s Dr. Steve Dentel and his Engineers Without Borders students on the completion of successful projects in Cameroon and Guatemala, and hear about the group’s future plans to bring clean water to communities in Malawi.

“Clean water and sustainable infrastructure are basic human necessities that we often take for granted here in the United States,” said Senator Coons. “Under the leadership of Dr. Dentel, the Engineers Without Borders chapter of the University of Delaware has done inspiring work to expand access to clean drinking water in Cameroon and construct a bridge uniting a community in Guatemala. I look forward to hearing about the life-changing impacts they will make as they embark on their next project in Malawi. In each community they touch, these student leaders serve as remarkable ambassadors for both Delaware and the United States, and I thank them for their hard work and dedication to serving communities around the world.”

During Friday’s Rotary Club meeting, EWB students Jon Perna, Caroline Bibb, Erica Addonzinio, and Sam Meahan discussed in detail their successful Cameroon Water Distribution System project, which expanded access to quality clean drinking water in the villages of Bakang and Balatsit in Bamendjou. Students then announced their five-year commitment to projects in the areas of Blantyre and Zomba in Malawi.

The students were also on hand to accept financial support from the Rotarians. A special auction of 15 uniquely painted rain-barrels by local artists raised $6,000 for the EWB club. 

University of Delaware EWB’s mission is to design and implement sustainable solutions to problems in international developing communities and bridge cultural, economical, and political divides.

Senator Coons joins leadership of Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee

Senator Coons will join the leadership of the Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee for the next Congress, leading efforts to help Democratic senators better engage with business leaders across the country.

The Steering and Outreach Committee is what's known as a "leadership committee" and exists effectively to strengthen the engagement between individual Democratic senators and community leaders."Engaging directly with community leaders gives senators the opportunity to thoughtfully exchange ideas, hear concerns, and collaborate on our nation's policy priorities," Senator Coons said. "Building bridges is what the Steering and Outreach Committee is all about, and I'm honored to be asked to play a role in shaping the direction of the committee in the next Congress. Businesses play an important role in our economy, and at this critical time in our economic recovery, we need to continue to work with business leaders to help them create jobs and strengthen our communities. I look forward to making the most of this opportunity and helping our caucus continue to engage constructively and productively with the business community."

This week, the Steering Committee hosted 14 leaders from the labor movement for a frank discussion with senators about job creation and the fiscal cliff. In September there were separate meetings with LGBT leaders on the state of the equality movement and housing leaders on mortgage refinancing, affordable housing, and financial literacy. There have been quite a few meetings with business leaders about job creation.

Senator Coons congratulates Delaware Boys & Girls Nation Participants

Senator Coons congratulated four Delaware American Legion Auxiliary Boys and Girls Nation leaders Thursday in Washington. The young leaders from the First State are Lael Houston, Rachel Defroda, Donald Wiegner and Christopher Clifton.

“I am always excited to meet our nation’s future leaders, and programs like Boys Nation and Girls Nation are terrific ways for the next generation to learn about our government,” Chris said. “These young men and women will develop essential leadership skills and cultivate strong bonds. This experience puts them on the road to success in their future endeavors.”

Lael Houston, of Dover High School, and Rachel Defroda, of Delaware Military Academy, were the two Delawarean women ‘Senators’ elected out of the 49 Girls State participants. Donald Wiegner, of Delaware Military Academy, and Christopher Clifton, of Sussex Technical High School JROTC, were elected out of 98 Boys State participants. 

The week-long immersion program held in the nation’s capital teaches ambitious young men and women about how the federal government works. Two participants per state, known as “Senators,” are chosen from the Boys and Girls State program. The men and women create a mock legislature where they run for office and elect a mock U.S. Boys or Girls Nation President. The students campaign for the passage of bills, participate in Senate sessions, and more. The highlight of the week includes field trips to monuments, meetings with state senators and representatives, and a visit to the White House.

Chris talks leadership with Delaware Girl Scouts

In honor of Girl Scouts of the United States of America’s 100th Anniversary, Senator Chris Coons joined with Senator Tom Carper and Congressman John Carney to host a meet-and-greet with 27 Delaware Girl Scouts who traveled to Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. The Girl Scouts have named 2012 as “The Year of the Girl,” where they will focus on leadership for girls and young women.

During the meeting, Chris talked with the girls about how his wife, Annie, was a Girl Scout when she was younger and his daughter, Maggie, is currently enjoying her time as a member of the Chesapeake Bay Chapter, which includes nearly 15,500 girls and 5,500 adults.

Chris encouraged the girls to pursue a career in the sciences, where women have been making inroads in a traditionally male dominated field.  He went on to discuss the importance of women taking leadership positions, stating that some of the most influential and educational bosses he’s had throughout his career were women who pushed him to reach his full potential.

A recent Girl Scout study highlighted a leadership gap, finding that close to three in five girls think that a woman can rise up in a company but will only rarely be put in a senior leadership role.  It also found more than one-third of girls say they would not feel comfortable trying to be a leader and almost 40 percent are not sure if they are cut out to be a leader. To address this issue, the new “ToGetHerThere” campaign, which is part of the centennial “Year of the Girl” theme,  includes a $1 billion philanthropic effort to support services and programs for girls across the nation and in 94 countries globally to help fill critical talent gaps in finance, science, technology, environmental, and global leadership arenas.

Click here to learn more about Chris’ work on education reform.

Click here to learn more about Girl Scouts of the United States of America.

Senator Coons leads bipartisan call for clean energy action

As a leading voice on clean energy innovation in the United States Senate, Senator Coons led a bipartisan group of 26 Senators in calling for Energy Secretary Steven Chu to help speed the development of alternative energy technologies by focusing on critical market development and innovation issues.

The Senators co-signed a letter to Secretary Chu which urges the Department of Energy to sponsor a study of clean energy deployment, market development, and financing which would be carried out by the National Academy of Sciences, stating “acting wisely is no less important than acting quickly.”

“The global clean energy race will continue to accelerate at an ever increasing pace with – or without – the United States in the running,” the Senators write in this morning’s letter. “Especially disturbing is the growing gap between our progress and that of nations taking the lead in the later stages of the energy value chain – the deployment, finance, manufacture, and consumption in domestic and export markets.  The United States must adopt a sustainable set of policies to recapture our leadership role in clean energy.”

The study would address the deployment of energy technologies and market dynamics that are inhibiting the U.S. from meeting its critical energy goals. Such a study will build upon previous studies of this kind which have led to important legislative advances. This includes a 2005 report titled Rising Above the Gathering Storm, which led to the passage of the America COMPETES Act. Chris is a strong supporter of the America COMPETES Act, which makes strategic investments in game-changing technologies as well as science, technology, engineering, and math education.

Click here to learn more about Chris’ work on clean energy and jobs.

Chris talks leadership, success, and the federal government with students at Wilmington University

Senator Coons spoke with sixty education doctorial students at Wilmington University’s New Castle campus on August 5 during a doctoral leadership seminar.

During the seminar, Chris talked about his work representing Delaware in the Senate and provided a glimpse into life on Capitol Hill. Chris took questions from students, about leadership, success, and the federal government.

Wilmington University’s Office of Public Relations provides further detail on Chris’ meeting: http://www.wilmu.edu/news/newsArticle.aspx?newsID=1194