Boston, Aug. 29, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- City Year Boston will commemorate 30 years of community service to Boston's schools and neighborhoods this September by launching a month-long series of activities. Its "30 Ways in 30 Days" campaign will give back to the city that launched the education nonprofit, as well as the diverse communities who have helped sustain its service.
As City Year Boston prepares AmeriCorps members to enter service in 29 Boston Public Schools this school year, it will feature an opportunity on each day in September for the City Year community to connect in Boston, and for alumni and supporters to reconnect from afar. Through a series of City Year events, service days, participation at community festivals, pledge drives, and other activities big and small, City Year will engage new and existing community members to celebrate this milestone.
Exciting activities will include:
9/14: Opening Day, sponsored by Comcast NBCUniversal. Following a Boston Duck Tour takeover, AmeriCorps members will formally be sworn into their year of service at the Reggie Lewis Center
9/21: Back to School Bash at Fenway Park which will reunite alumni, school partners, and champions
9/22: Red Jacket Service Day where 200 volunteers will pitch in to refresh the grounds of the Hennigan K-8 School in Jamaica Plain
“City Year Boston has always believed that young people can change the world, and that shows in the accomplishments of their students and alumni," said Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh. "Whenever Bostonians see a red jacket, they know help is on the way. We are proud to call City Year Boston one of our partners and we look forward to working together to create brighter futures for our city’s youth.”
City Year Boston AmeriCorps members each provide 1,700 hours of service annually, totaling 490,000 hours in schools and through physical service projects, at a value of $12.1 million to the city of Boston.1 They serve as capacity builders for BPS teachers and administrators, offering full-time support in attendance, positive behavior, and coursework in English Language Arts and math to improve school climate and student performance.
“The Boston Public Schools strives to offer students a school experience that is rigorous, welcoming, and propels them to success. City Year Boston is an important partner in that effort and has supported our students, educators, and schools for many years. City Year AmeriCorps members and staff help our school leaders foster positive school climates and deliver personalized tutoring and mentoring to thousands of students every year. We deeply value their work with BPS to develop in every learner the knowledge, skill, and character to excel in college, career, and life,” said Laura Perille, Interim Superintendent, Boston Public Schools.
More than a gap year, City Year Boston also serves as a launching pad for young people to jumpstart their careers, where they develop critical leadership skills and receive education benefits to pursue professions in a wide array of industries. In recent years, City Year Boston has seen former BPS students join the corps because of the profound impact their City Year mentor had on their lives. Corps and student alumni have gone on to become influential leaders in Boston and beyond as city leaders, principals and teachers, social workers, entrepreneurs, and business executives.
"Boston is home to a unique nexus of education, business, and community service that has been critical to City Year Boston's success over the last 30 years. We are immensely grateful to the diverse communities and leaders who have helped us reach this milestone, and to the thousands of AmeriCorps members who have given their talents and hearts to our great city," said Sandra Lopez Burke, Vice President and Executive Director, City Year Boston. "City Year Boston is poised to accelerate achievement for Boston's students and schools, while simultaneously producing AmeriCorps alumni who will become our city's future leaders. We're excited to celebrate throughout September and head into the next 30 years stronger than ever."
From its first corps of 50 young adults in Boston, City Year now deploys more than 3,000 City Year AmeriCorps members to 349 urban schools nationwide, serving more than 234,000 students each day in 29 U.S. cities. Since its founding, more than 30,000 City Year members have dedicated more than 52 million hours of service nationwide and abroad.
City Year has been a leader in the national service movement, serving as an inspiration for the founding of AmeriCorps, founding Voices for National Service, and helping to secure the passage of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act in 2009.
"When we founded City Year 30 years ago here in my hometown, my co-founders and I believed that national service could bring together diverse Americans under a shared purpose, build stronger communities, develop the next generation of leaders and strengthen the fabric of our democracy,” said Michael Brown, CEO and Co-Founder, City Year. “The Boston community embraced this vision, which has now spread across the country and around the world. Today, this vision is more critical than ever and City Year is proud to be a leader in that movement."
As City Year enters its next 30 years in Boston and around the country, the education nonprofit intends to deepen and expand its impact in high-need urban elementary, middle and high schools with highly trained City Year AmeriCorps members who provide individualized academic and social-emotional supports to students. These teams will work with school and community partners to build a multi-year continuum of support from third to tenth grade to keep students in school and on track to graduation.
For more information on City Year Boston's “30 Ways in 30 Days” campaign, visit cityyear.org/boston/events/30-ways-30-days. Engage with City Year on social using #CYB30in30.
About City Year Boston
City Year is dedicated to helping students and schools succeed. Diverse teams of City Year AmeriCorps members provide high-impact student, classroom and school-wide supports to help students stay in school and on track to graduate from high school, ready for college and career success. A proud member of the AmeriCorps national service network, City Year is funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service, local school districts, and private philanthropy from corporations, foundations and individuals.
In Boston, City Year recruits, trains, and deploys AmeriCorps members into full-time service as tutors and mentors in the Boston Public Schools. Collectively they provide more than 490,000 hours of service to more than 15,000 students across 29 schools. City Year Boston receives generous support from the Boston Public Schools, Massachusetts Service Alliance, and MBTA, as well as corporate, individual, and community partners. cityyear.org/boston.
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