Texas Congressman among Bipartisan Group of National Service Advocates Being Honored
SAN ANTONIO, February 13, 2017— In recognition of his strong support for national service, Representative Will Hurd (R-TX) will receive the Outstanding New Member Award from Voices for National Service, a diverse coalition of national and local service programs, state service commissions and individual champions, who work to ensure Americans of all ages and backgrounds have the opportunity to serve and volunteer in their community.
The Outstanding New Member Award is given for elevating national service as a first term legislative priority.
Representative Hurd joins a bipartisan group of distinguished leaders in government, business, and journalism from across the nation being honored, including Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO,) John Cornyn (R-TX,) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Representatives Tom Cole (R-OK) and David Price (D-NC), Mayor David Condon (R-Spokane, WA) and journalist David Brooks of The New York Times.
The awards will be formally presented in Washington, D.C. at the 14th Annual Friends of National Service Awards on February 14, 2017.
“Teach For America recruits and trains some of the brightest leaders from across the nation to both teach in underserved schools and impact education systems at all levels. Representative Hurd has been a true champion of growing Teach For America’s impact in this part of the state. His support for critical funding and key policy provisions helps us expand educational opportunity for children in the San Antonio area and beyond,” said Teach For America—San Antonio executive director Laura Saldivar Luna. “Representative Hurd’s support propels this work forward.”
“Representative Hurd has hit the ground running in Washington, producing positive results for western Texas,” said AnnMaura Connolly, president of Voices for National Service. “Representative Hurd has been eager to find ways to support proven national service programs and encouraged his colleagues to elevate national service as a legislative priority. In recognition of his support for national service and commitment to championing this results-driven solution to pressing local challenges, Voices for National Service is proud to honor Representative Will Hurd with the Outstanding New Member Award.”
Honorees were selected based on recognition and support for national service as a solution to some of the nation’s most pressing challenges. Each award winner has helped to raise public awareness of national service and elevate national service as a national priority.
National service is a cost-effective strategy for engaging citizens, improving communities, and strengthening the nation. In communities across the country, national service members of all ages and backgrounds provide critical services to fulfill unmet needs. National service members tutor and mentor struggling students, help Americans lead healthier lives, provide job training and other services to returning veterans, preserve the nation’s parks and public lands, offer disaster relief and recovery assistance after natural disasters and support independent living for seniors and Americans with disabilities. For every federal dollar invested in national service, there are returns to society of nearly four dollars in terms of higher earnings, increased output and other community-wide benefits.
Congress created the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency that oversees national service programs such as AmeriCorps and Senior Corps, to be a public-private partnership that invests limited federal dollars to leverage substantial private investment to improve lives and communities. In 2015, CNCS generated $1.26 billion in outside resources from private businesses, foundations, and other sources, an amount exceeding the federal appropriation. Furthermore, a recent survey of AmeriCorps alumni found that eight out of 10 alumni say AmeriCorps benefited and advanced their career path, and that AmeriCorps alumni are more likely to attain a bachelor’s degree or higher than the average American adult.
The 14th Annual Friends of National Service Awards is sponsored by Comcast NBCUniversal and CSX.
