By Forum Staff
City Chief Service Officer Laura Rog kicked off NYC Service’s 16th year of AmeriCorps programming on Monday with 130 AmeriCorps members committed to a year of service at local community organizations and City agencies through June 2025. The cohort of AmeriCorps members is expected to engage thousands of people in volunteer opportunities and impacts tens of thousands of residents through direct service and engagement.
The ceremony held at Forest Park on Monday marked the end of an intensive two-week orientation for members and concluded with the AmeriCorps pledge to “Get things done.” The orientation, organized by NYC Service, prepares incoming members with strategies to apply their talents and background to take on a range of responsibilities including conducting community outreach, engaging with communities for awareness of resources, or recruiting new volunteers.
Highlights of the orientation included a meet-and-greet with Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado as well as their first assignment as volunteer leaders with 9/11 Day and New York Cares on 9/11 National Day of Service. The orientation is one component of the full 200-hour professional development and training series AmeriCorps members receive as part of their AmeriCorps term with NYC Service.
AmeriCorps members will serve in one of four programs, Civic Corps, City Service Corps, NYCHA Health Corps, or NYC VISTA, and support with volunteer management, direct services, public health education, or capacity building. Nonprofit organizations and city agencies were selected in the spring to host members within their organizations full-time for 10 months.
According to Rog, the members were recruited following the “Serve Your City, Shape Your Future” campaign effort incorporating marketing and community engagement to inspire the city’s service-oriented individuals to give back to Gotham and invest in their personal and professional development through an AmeriCorps year of service.
“NYC Service’s AmeriCorps programs have been the gateway into a lifetime of public service for more than 2,200 individuals, and the impact of their service over the years has had an immeasurable impact on New York City communities,” Rog said. “We proudly welcome all 130 Civic Corps, City Service Corps, NYCHA Health Corps, and VISTA members to the New York City impact community and extend our sincere gratitude for their personal sacrifice and commitment to tackling important issues affecting New Yorkers alongside our nonprofit and city agency partners.”
The cohort of NYC Service AmeriCorps members started at their host organizations on Monday, Sept. 16. Over the course of the 10-month service term, members will receive 200 hours of training, a living allowance, and other benefits. Individuals who complete their service term are also eligible to receive an Eli Segal AmeriCorps Education Award valued at approximately $5,176 to be applied to future or prior educational costs.
All NYC Service AmeriCorps program members are expected to complete their year of service with host organizations in June 2025.
“Volunteerism is the heartbeat of New York City. When we come together to serve our community, we not only strengthen the bonds between us but also lay the foundation for a brighter, more inclusive future for every New Yorker,” added Adams’s Chief of Staff Camille Joseph Varlack. “Our city thrives when its people lead with compassion, and each act of service helps build the city we all want to live in.”
