Celebrating AmeriCorps Week and AmeriCorps’ Enduring Partnership With AARP Foundation Experience Corps

As we commemorate #AmeriCorpsWeek during the year-long celebration of AmeriCorps’ 30th anniversary, we reflect on the profound impact the national service agency has had on communities across the United States, especially through AARP Foundation Experience Corps.?

Since its inception in 1994, AmeriCorps has been a beacon of hope, rallying people from all walks of life to dedicate their time and talent to address our nation’s greatest challenges. What resonates most for AARP Foundation throughout this celebration is our enduring relationship, which has been instrumental in fostering positive change and empowering older adults to make a difference.

In 1995, just one year after the first AmeriCorps volunteers began their service, #ExperienceCorps itself came into being. The program, designed to harness the skills and wisdom of older adults as tutors and mentors, found a natural ally in AmeriCorps. Together, we embarked on a mission to tackle educational disparities and promote lifelong learning.

Fast-forward to the present day, and the synergy between AmeriCorps and AARP Foundation is stronger than ever, driving new innovations and effectiveness in community service efforts. Here's a glimpse into the current ways our two organizations are working together to engage older adult volunteers and create lasting change:

• AmeriCorps state and national members serve as reading tutors in four program locations, building transformative impact through intergenerational collaboration.
• AmeriCorps VISTA members play a pivotal role in supporting our program partners nationwide by creating innovative and sustainable ways to enhance volunteers’ experiences, develop funds, build program awareness, and recruit new tutors. Currently, Experience Corps has 15 VISTAs contributing to program operations, and more than a handful of VISTA members have been brought on as full-time staff with their local organizations over the last two years.
• In 2022, AARP Foundation joined with AmeriCorps to support the Partnership for Student Success and the president’s call to recruit 250,000 caring adults to help schools bounce back from the pandemic. This collaboration underscores the collective commitment to building resilient communities through education and mentorship.
• AARP Foundation's involvement in the AmeriCorps Volunteer Generation Fund (VGF) grant program has turbocharged recent recruitment and retention efforts and has extended our reach and amplified the impact of volunteer initiatives. The VFG has provided six program partners with subgrants to ensure funding directly supports local community activities.

As a Certifying Organization of the President's Volunteer Service Award program, led by AmeriCorps and managed in partnership with Points of Light , AARP Foundation celebrates and honors the remarkable contributions of people who have dedicated their lives to service. These awards serve as a testament to the unwavering dedication and passion of volunteers of all ages. Take, for example, Calvin Leonard, who has served more than 4,400 hours with Experience Corps over the course of 20 years, and who was one of 79 volunteers across the nation recognized by Experience Corps for their commitment in 2023 — and AARP Foundation's first-ever recipient of the President's Volunteer Service Award.

As we celebrate this significant milestone in the history of AmeriCorps, and as AARP Foundation prepares to celebrate our own 30th anniversary of Experience Corps in 2025, we reflect with gratitude on our mutual unwavering commitment to supporting older adults who answer the call to service. We see ahead the boundless potential of collaboration as an avenue to building a more inclusive and compassionate society. Together with AmeriCorps, we will continue to champion the spirit of volunteerism and create positive change for generations to come.