Press Releases

Congresswoman Gwen Moore to Receive Award for Support of AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors

Washington, D.C. – In recognition of her strong support for AmeriCorps, Voices for National Service announced today that Congresswoman Moore (D-WI) will receive the John Lewis Bridge to Service Award at the 20^th Annual Friends of National Service Awards.

Congresswoman Moore is only the second recipient of this award, which is given to a member of Congress in recognition of their unwavering commitment to expanding opportunities for Americans of every background to serve and volunteer in their community.

Voices for National Service, which turns 20 this year, is a diverse coalition of AmeriCorps programs, state service commissions and individual champions, who deliver critical services to Americans in communities across the country. Voices for National Service advocates for programs on the front lines of our communities, responding to the country’s most immediate and pressing challenges.

“It is such honor to receive an award named in honor of my late friend Rep. John Robert Lewis, who embodied selfless and courageous service every day of his life,” said Congresswoman Moore. “I was inspired by him like millions of others. From working as a young activist to being an AmeriCorps member to serving in the state legislature and now Congress, public service has always been my calling. And I know personally that AmeriCorps can help meet the needs of our communities, which is why I will continue being its champion in Congress.”

“Representative Moore is a remarkable public servant with an impressive legacy of commitment to country and community,” said AnnMaura Connolly, President, Voices for National Service. “As a former AmeriCorps VISTA member, she deeply understands the value of service both in the communities served and in the lives of those who step forward to serve, and she has made it a priority to support funding and legislation to make AmeriCorps service more accessible to all Americans. It is our immense privilege to honor her with the John Lewis Bridge to Service Award.”

Congresswoman Moore’s career in Congress has been shaped by her own service as a VISTA volunteer in the 1970s. Moore helped start-up a community credit union that made loans and grants to low-income citizens for opening new businesses, and she earned the “VISTA of the Decade” award for this project. Today, Moore continues her fight against poverty focusing on improving the economic and employment conditions for marginalized populations. She has made it her mission to give voice to the voiceless, and she has been an ardent supporter of initiatives that put low-income students on the path to educational success. An outspoken proponent for AmeriCorps, Moore proudly shares her VISTA experience with her fellow policymakers. A member of the National Service Congressional Caucus, she has consistently supported increased funding for AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors and cosponsors bills to strengthen and grow the programs.

A short video featuring voices from Wisconsin highlights how Congresswoman Moore has helped to raise public awareness of AmeriCorps and elevated service as a solution to some of the nation's most pressing problems will be available following the event, here. You are welcome to embed the video in any coverage.

Annually approximately 7,900 members of AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors are serving in Wisconsin, responding to the state’s most immediate and critical needs. They are serving at more than 900 locations across Wisconsin including schools, food banks, homeless shelters, health clinics, veterans facilities and other local nonprofit, faith-based and community organizations. The AmeriCorps agency has invested more than $20.8 million in federal funding to support cost-effective community solutions in Wisconsin, working hand in hand with local partners to empower individuals to help communities tackle their toughest challenges. Through this public-private partnership, every $1 Congress invests in AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors returns more than $17 in benefits to our country.

Moore joins a bipartisan group of distinguished leaders in government being honored this year including Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Edward Markey (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Todd Young (R-IN), and Representatives Judy Chu (D-CA), Tom Cole (R-OK), Garret Graves (R-LA), and Derek Kilmer (D-WA). In 2022, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) was the first recipient of the John Lewis Bridge to Service Award.

Event Details

WHAT:           20th Annual Friends of National Service Awards, hosted by Voices for National Service

WHEN:           Wednesday, April 26, from 6:30 – 8:30pm ET

WHERE:         Hilton Washington, DC Capitol Hill, 525 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC

RSVP:             Media that wishes to attend should RSVP to ranit@schmelzerstrategies.com

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Voices for National Service, which turns 20 this year, advocates for programs that respond to the country’s most immediate and pressing challenges and elevates AmeriCorps as a powerful strategy for tackling unmet needs. Founded in 2003, Voices for National Service has built strong bipartisan support among our national’s leaders for AmeriCorps, the public-private partnership that yields more than $17 in benefits to our country for every $1 invested by Congress and enables the 200,000 members of AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors to support local nonprofit, faith-based and community organizations on the front lines of our communities – an effort that unites our country and deepens civic character.