July 21, 2009
Contact: Gordon Hickey (804) 225-4260
www.governor.virginia.gov
GOVERNOR KAINE JOINS YOUTH VOLUNTEERS FOR SERVICE PROJECT
~ Project is part of summer-long United We Serve initiative ~
Governor Timothy M. Kaine today joined members of the Virginia State Parks Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) to volunteer at Pocahontas State Park, highlighting community service efforts in the Commonwealth. The service project is also part of the United We Serve initiative, President Barack Obama’s national call for a summer of service. As part of their volunteer work, the Governor and members of the YCC spent the morning participating in environmentally friendly efforts such as creating trails and working on improvements to one of the park’s dining halls.
“Today was a mixture of inspiration and perspiration, and it was great,” said Governor Kaine. “The teens from YCC tackle important projects in our parks, work long, hard hours and develop an appreciation for the environment and the outdoors. The lessons they learn here will influence them for the rest of their lives.”
United We Serve aims to put volunteers on a path to sustained service in their communities. Citizens are encouraged to organize those within their community, identify unmet needs, develop their own service projects, and network with others who have similar skills or interests. The initiative is encouraging participation across a wide range of service areas, with particular emphasis on fields that will help mitigate the effects of the economic downturn and help America recover. The areas of emphasis are:
· Promoting clean energy, energy efficiency, and public land restoration
· Education and literacy
· Increasing health care access, public health awareness, and prevention
· Providing community renewal to areas hardest hit by the economic crisis
United We Serve will culminate on Sept. 11, 2009 as a National Day of Service and Remembrance. Volunteer opportunities in the Commonwealth may be searched by location and keyword at www.serve.org.
The YCC is modeled after the depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps, which built the original six Virginia State Parks and Pocahontas State Park. In 2008, YCC received the Governor’s Volunteer Award for Best Youth Volunteer Program. Operating through the Virginia Office on Volunteerism and Community Service the AmeriCorps*State Program allows members to earn an education award that can be used to pay for college or to pay back qualified student loans.
Governor Kaine also was joined today by the Governor’s Fellows, 18 graduating college seniors and current graduate students from Virginia serving in the Governor’s Office and Cabinets. The Governor’s Fellows will work through Aug. 7, and are afforded opportunities to observe the operation of the highest levels of state government. This summer, the Fellows volunteered their time gardening for community food banks and mentoring at-risk youth, and plan to participate in an upcoming Remote Area Medical clinic in Wise County later this week in the spirit of sustainable service.
“Public service is an honorable, character-building pursuit,” said Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). Director Joseph H. Maroon. “From the YCC, to the Governor’s Fellows, to the thousands of Virginians volunteering in United We Serve programs, our Commonwealth is made better by their efforts.”
