Advocating for National Service - Volunteer Iowa Day at the Capitol

Blog post written by Melissa Simmermaker, Iowa Reading Corps AmeriCorps Program Manager

Staff members from the Iowa Reading Corps AmeriCorps Program recently had the opportunity to participate in Volunteer Iowa Day at the Capitol. The event was hosted by the Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service (ICVS), a state agency that helps organizations like Iowa Reading Corps fulfill their mission by capitalizing upon the impact of national service members and local volunteers. 

Volunteer Iowa Day at the Capitol provided an exciting opportunity for our staff to educate legislators on the Iowa Reading Corps program model and to discuss the important role that our AmeriCorps members are playing in bridging the 3rd grade literacy gap. In addition to highlighting the unique aspects of the program model, staff also highlighted the program’s invaluable relationship with local United Ways that has leveraged both financial and community resources to strengthen the connection between school and community. We were excited to receive an enthusiastic response from legislators and plan to capitalize upon this interest by scheduling visits for local legislators at a few of our Reading Corps schools. 

Perhaps most importantly, Volunteer Iowa Day at the Capitol emphasized the fact that national service programs, like AmeriCorps, aren’t just nice, they’re important! We hope that by educating our elected officials on the positive impact that our AmeriCorps members are cultivating both in and outside of the school setting, we will be able to spotlight national service as a potential solution to some of our most pressing issues in the education field.