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News Release

Last modified: Thursday, March 31, 2011

Former Corporation for National and Community Service officials to discuss national service

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 31, 2011

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- AmeriCorps Alums Bloomington and the IU School of Public Environmental Affairs' Service Corps will host a panel discussion Tuesday (April 5) titled "AmeriCorps in Your Community: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow" on the Indiana University Bloomington campus.

The panel will feature SPEA faculty members Leslie Lenkowsky, the former CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, and David Reingold, former director of the corporation's Office of Research and Policy Development. Also on the panel will be Erin Cooperman, program coordinator for AmeriCorps Improving Health Throughout Indiana (AIHTI).

Panelists will discuss national service and the role of AmeriCorps, what AmeriCorps can offer communities and the future of the program. The discussion is open to the public and will take place from 6-7 p.m. in room 219 of the IU Kelley School of Business.

Lenkowsky is clinical professor of public affairs and philanthropic studies at SPEA. Prior to joining the IU faculty, he served as chief executive officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service and president of the Hudson Institute. He also has served as president of the Institute for Educational Affairs, deputy director of the U.S. Information Agency and director of the Philanthropy Roundtable.

Reingold, professor and executive associate dean of SPEA, is chairman of the Indiana Commission on Community Service and Volunteerism. He has been director of research and policy development at the Corporation for National and Community Service, chair of the research committee for the White House Task Force for Disadvantaged Youth, and served on expert panels for the National Academy of Public Administration and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Cooperman is visiting research associate at the School of HPER as well as program coordinator for AIHTI, which seeks to eliminate health disparities through the promotion of proper nutrition and physical activity. AIHTI pairs local non-profit organizations with 75 AmeriCorps members in Bloomington and Indianapolis who gain health promotion experience while serving their community.

The Indiana Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives administers $2 million in grants annually from the Corporation for National and Community Service for 13 AmeriCorps State programs. The office serves as the liaison between the governor's office and Indiana's community and faith-based organizations, volunteer centers, and corporate volunteer councils and works to strengthen the state's volunteerism and community service infrastructure.

About Americorps Alums Bloomington

AmeriCorps Alums Bloomington aims to connect, support and mobilize AmeriCorps Alumni to strengthen the community and the nation. It strives to create a network of AmeriCorps alumni, connect local alumni to alumni on a state level, promote service initiatives, and serve as an informational resource regarding AmeriCorps for Indiana University and the Bloomington community.

For more information, see https://btownalums.blogspot.com or the organization's Facebook page, or contact Danielle Rankin at 410-599-1463 or darankin@indiana.edu.

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