WHEN:           Tuesday, November 18, 2008

                        9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

WHERE:         Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center

                        55 South Harrison Road

                        East Lansing, Michigan 48824

WHAT:            The Member Celebration provides an opportunity for all current Michigan's AmeriCorps members to come together for a day of training, networking, and motivation.  The Celebration helps members gain a new perspective on the impact their AmeriCorps service has on communities throughout Michigan.  Through the day's events, members understand they are part of a significant national movement.  Members will participate in professional development workshops on leadership, service project planning, and other topics relevant to national and community service.  Members will also hear from keynote speaker Susannah Cowden.

·         Susannah Cowden, Special Projects Assistant for Be the Change, Inc.

Be the Change, Inc. is the lead organizer of the ServiceNation campaign.  Cowden is one of the founding staff members of Be the Change, Inc. and organized national outreach for the September 27, 2008 Day of Action which engaged 250,000 participants.  She is an AmeriCorps alumna who conducted her service as a Teach for America corps members in rural New Mexico.

The 2008 Celebration will conclude with a swearing-in ceremony reaffirming members' commitment to AmeriCorps and national service.  Michigan's First Gentleman, Daniel G. Mulhern, will lead the swearing-in at this year's Celebration.

WHO:              Michigan's AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps*VISTA members.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Michigan's AmeriCorps is often described as the domestic Peace Corps.  Individuals, called members, take on the toughest challenges facing communities by serving within nonprofit organizations, schools, and other agencies throughout the state.  They tutor and mentor children, help the homeless, feed the hungry, protect the environment, and more.  

In a 2007 report released by the Michigan Community Service Commission, Michigan's AmeriCorps members:

            - Completed over 700,000 hours of service and training.

            - Recruited nearly 24,000 volunteers who served more than 188,000 hours.

            - Impacted over 120,000 students, citizens, and volunteers.

The Michigan Community Service Commission builds a culture of service by providing vision and resources to strengthen communities through volunteerism.  In 2008-09, the MCSC is granting more than $5.3 million in federal funds to local communities for volunteer programs and activities.  The MCSC is funding 18 AmeriCorps programs and 24 Learn and Serve programs.  The Governor's Service Awards, Mentor Michigan, and Volunteer Investment Grants are also premier programs of the MCSC.  The MCSC is housed in the Michigan Department of Human Services, whose mission is to assist children, families, and vulnerable adults to be safe, stable, and self-supporting.  The Corporation for National and Community Service grants the federal funding the MCSC administers.  For more information visit www.michigan.gov/mcscand www.cns.gov.