AmeriCorps: Difference between revisions

'''AmeriCorps''' ({{IPAc-en|ə|'|m|ɛr|ɪ|k|ɔːr}} {{respelling|ə|MERR|ih|kor}}{{cn|date=October 2024}}; officially the '''Corporation for National and Community Service''' or '''CNCS''') is an [[Independent agencies of the United States government|independent agency of the United States government]] that engages more than five million Americans in service through a variety of stipended volunteer work programs in many sectors. These programs include [[AmeriCorps VISTA]], [[National Civilian Community Corps|AmeriCorps NCCC]], AmeriCorps State and National, [[AmeriCorps Seniors]], the Volunteer Generation Fund, and other national service initiatives.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalservice.gov |website=Nationalservice.gov|title=National Service|access-date=Nov 21, 2011}}</ref> The agency's mission is "to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering".<ref>{{cite web |title=ABOUT CNCS |url=https://www.nationalservice.gov/about |publisher=Corporation for National and Community Service |access-date=2020-09-21}}</ref> It was created by the [[National and Community Service Trust Act]] of 1993.<ref>[http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c103:6:./temp/~c103itpc1E:e312587: Bill Text, 103rd Congress (1993-1994), H.R.2010.EAS] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200517224927/http://www.congress.gov/ |date=2020-05-17 }} [[Library of Congress]]</ref> In September 2020, the agency rebranded itself as AmeriCorps, although its official name is unchanged.<ref name="Bur">{{cite news |last1=Bur |first1=Jessie |title=Public service agency rebrands itself under a familiar name |url=https://www.federaltimes.com/management/2020/09/29/public-service-agency-rebrands-itself-under-a-familiar-name/ |access-date=September 14, 2021 |publisher=Federal Times |date=September 29, 2020}}</ref>

AmeriCorps VISTA, or [[Volunteers in Service to America]] (VISTA), was founded in 1965 as a domestic version of the [[Peace Corps]].  The program was incorporated into AmeriCorps and renamed AmeriCorps VISTA to create AmeriCorps in 1993.<ref>[http://www.americorps.gov/about/programs/vista_faq.asp Frequently Asked Questions About AmeriCorps VISTA] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130215164101/http://www.americorps.gov/about/programs/vista_faq.asp |date=2013-02-15 }}. AmeriCorps website. Retrieved 12/5/08.</ref> VISTA provides full-time members to nonprofit, [[faith-based organization|faith-based]] and other [[community-based organization|community organizations]], and [[government agency|public agencies]] to create and expand programs that ultimately bring low-income individuals and communities out of poverty. There are currently over 5,000 VISTA members serving in 1,200 VISTA programs nationwide.