Habitat for Humanity joins other leading national service organizations in effort to make a year of service standard across America
ATLANTA (Mar. 26, 2014) — Habitat for Humanity has joined 17 other leading service organizations in partnering with ServiceNation in a historic campaign to utilize popular culture to inspire young Americans to serve communities throughout the U.S. The campaign will connect AmeriCorps members with content creators across the country, including Hollywood.
“In my work with Habitat AmeriCorps members, I’ve been able to see firsthand what service does, not just for the recipients, but also for those giving their time,” said Peter Rumsey, Habitat for Humanity’s director of national service. “Habitat was founded on service and responsibility to our neighbors, not just next door, but around the world. AmeriCorps gives its members the opportunity to uphold that responsibility and live a creed of service every day, making an impact in their community, bettering their country and growing as individuals.”
The campaign aims to inspire millions of young Americans to serve by enlisting the voices of prominent leaders from both political parties, the entertainment industry, digital partners, major companies, leading nonprofits and AmeriCorps alumni. The ultimate goal is simple, but ambitious: to work toward a day when young Americans turn to each other and ask, “Where will your year of national service be?”
Habitat for Humanity International will join LIFT in leading the Economic Opportunity Pillar of the campaign, providing the stories and faces of AmeriCorps members who are fighting poverty. The campaign highlights eight other Pillar areas of service, including:
- Responding after a disaster with Rebuilding Together and St. Bernard Project
- Creating a healthier America with FoodCorps and National Health Corps
- Building lifelong readers with Reading Partners and Reading Corps
- Empowering young leaders with YouthBuild and The Corps Network
- Inspiring students’ interest in STEM with Citizen Schools and FIRST
- Helping students succeed with College Possible, City Year and Playworks
- Teaching with Teach For America• Empowering veterans with Vet Corps
- Along with the campaign’s National Strategic Partner, AmeriCorps Alums
The announcement of the campaign follows a November 2013 conversation co-hosted by ServiceNation, Next Generation and the Clinton Foundation, which involved former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Clinton Foundation Vice Chair Chelsea Clinton, ServiceNation Executive Director Zach Maurin and Next Generation co-founder James Steyer about how Hollywood can raise awareness for national service and early childhood education. Actor and director Rob Reiner moderated the expert panel before an audience that included some of the entertainment industry’s biggest players, including Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes, award-winning actor and creator of Girls, Lena Dunham, and Producers Guild President and Criminal Minds Executive Producer, Mark Gordon.
Over the next three years, ServiceNation will continue to meet with entertainment companies and TV show executives in hopes that they will integrate powerful stories of service by AmeriCorps members into scripts of their shows. Only two weeks ago, AmeriCorps was mentioned in an episode of HBO’s True Detective, a direct result of this effort. In the coming months, the campaign plans to roll out other partnerships with humorous digital platforms, YouTube stars, social-minded brands, athletes, celebrities and more successful integrations that will help tell the story of national service in America.
Americans interested in a year of service are encouraged to visit the campaign website, www.serveAyear.org, to learn how AmeriCorps programs are tackling some of our nation’s toughest problems – from disaster relief and veteran reintegration to college access and childhood nutrition – and the organizations making an impact.
About Habitat for Humanity International
Habitat for Humanity International’s vision is a world where everyone has a decent place to live. Anchored by the conviction that housing provides a critical foundation for breaking the cycle of poverty, Habitat has helped more than 4 million people construct, rehabilitate or preserve homes since 1976. Habitat also advocates to improve access to decent and affordable shelter and supports a variety of funding models that enable families with limited resources to make needed improvements on their homes as their time and resources allow. As a nonprofit Christian housing organization, Habitat works in more than 70 countries and welcomes people of all races, religions and nationalities to partner in its mission. To learn more, donate or volunteer visit habitat.org.
About ServiceNation
This campaign will build on the work ServiceNation has done over the last six years. With a coalition of nearly 400 organizations, a membership of more than 140,000 individuals and a field team, ServiceNation seeks to take the national service movement to the next level through an unprecedented cultural campaign that will inspire Americans and expand opportunities for Americans in national service. Learn more at www.servicenation.org.