History of AmeriCorps
The Bush administration (under President George H.W. Bush) passed landmark legislation with the National and Community Service act of 1990 to establish a federal framework to invest in service learning, youth corps, and community service programs across America.
The Clinton administration passed legislation in 1993 to establish the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) - today known as the AmeriCorps federal agency - which became the governing and funding body to the major national service programs in the United States, including Senior Corps and all streams of service within the AmeriCorps umbrella. AmeriCorps State and National was newly developed under this legislation to support a wide range of local service programs to address needs in disaster services, economic opportunity, education, environmental stewardship, healthy futures, and military veterans and families.
More than 30 years later, AmeriCorps has rallied generations of Americans to volunteer in the spirit of "Getting things done for America".
Individuals who choose to serve as Volunteers with AmeriCorps can dedicate several months to several years to national service in either a part-time or full-time capacity. During their service, AmeriCorps State and National Volunteers can receive a variety of benefits including a modest living allowance; healthcare insurance, childcare support, forbearance of repaying federal student loans; and become eligible for the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award, which can be used to pay-down existing federal loans or to pay for future education expenses.
To learn more, visit www.americorps.gov.
South Carolina Commission on National and Community Service
The South Carolina Commission on National and Community Service (SCCNCS) was established by South Carolina Governor Carroll A. Campbell Jr. in 1993 to identify critical volunteer and service needs of our state and to award AmeriCorps funded grants to locally led efforts. Proposals for AmeriCorps Programs are created by local community organization to address issues unique to their community. This bottom-up approach ensures that federal funding is allocated to address South Carolina’s biggest challenges.
In December of 2007, by Executive Order 2007-24 of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, the United Way Association of South Carolina was appointed as the Palmetto State's custodian of the Commission. The United Way Association of South Carolina remains a natural fit to steward the Commission due to aligned goal of leveraging the power of volunteerism to improve the quality of life for South Carolina residents.
The Commission (SCCNCS) is South Carolina’s lead champion on volunteerism and national service.
Mission, Vision, and State Service Plan
Our mission is to improve South Carolina communities through volunteerism and national service programs.
Our vision is to promote and increase:
- An ethic of service and volunteerism in the state of South Carolina.
- The capacity of faith-based and community organizations within the state to better compete for funding opportunities.
- The collaboration among communities and organizations that are trying to meet the greatest needs of the Palmetto State.
Primarily through AmeriCorps funding with matching support from the State of South Carolina, we encourage and uplift South Carolina's strong ethic of volunteerism for all of our citizens - young and old, urban-centered and rural-dwelling.
We promote community solutions for disaster preparedness and response; and help to strengthen and expand volunteer centers and other community-based organizations that use volunteers to accomplish their mission.
Every three years, the Commission creates a State Service Plan, which highlights key challenges of the state and identifies research-based interventions to address them. It serves as a guide for funding and programmatic priorities for National Service Programs in South Carolina. The Commission embraces the six focus areas held by the Corporation for National and Community Service (Education, Veterans and Military Families, Environmental Stewardship, Healthy Futures, Disaster Response and Economic Opportunity). For each focus area, the plan addresses the national service priority and relevancy to South Carolina. This plan is developed through an open and public review process that guides the direction of the Commission. Annual addendums help keep the State Service Plan current by incorporating yearly progress towards measurable goals and outcomes.
Commissioners
The Commission is comprised of 15-25 volunteers who live throughout South Carolina and have a wide variety of professions, backgrounds and interests areas. Two commissioners are appointed by South Carolina's Governor, including our Commission Chair. One commissioner is appointed by South Carolina's Superintendent of Education. The remainder of our Commissioners are selected by a nomination and application process, and serve for 3 year terms.
If you are interested in applying to serve as a non-appointed Commissioner for the South Carolina Commission on National and Community Service, please fill out this Commissioner Interest Form
Below is a list of our current Commissioners:
- Ms. Missy Santorum, Governor-appointed Chair
- Ms. Candi Forester-Smith, Vice Chair and Nominations Committee Chair
- Ms. Virginia Bikas, Grant Review Committee Chair
- Mr. Jordan Snipes, Governor's Volunteer Awards Committee Chair
- Dr. Gail Awan, Superintendent of Ed. appointee
- Ms. Amber Roos
- Ms. Brandy Singleton
- Ms. Brenda Green
- Ms. Christina Soyden Arnold
- Mr. Elliott Epps
- Mr. Gordon Rooney
- Ms. Jill Briggs Blitzer
- Ms. Karen Culley
- Dr. Nan Li
- Mr. Noel Crosby
- Mr. Roderick Houston
- Ms. Sara Massey
- Ms. Myra Cunningham AmeriCorps federal agency ex-officio representative (non-voting)
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