SENIOR CORPS ACTION ALERT!!
Recent weeks have brought news of huge concern about the future of the field of volunteerism! Contact your U.S. Senator and U.S. Representative to support Senior Corps.
The President's recent FY15 budget proposal for the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) calls for the RSVP program to be cut by two-thirds! And it calls for the Foster Grandparent and Senior Companion programs to be transitioned from Senior Corps to fall under AmeriCorps! According to this proposal, the other third of the dollars that would have been devoted to RSVP will be moved from Senior Corps to the Volunteer Generation Fund. If this proposal is enacted, only about a third of RSVP will be preserved for FY15.
This drastic proposal to cut RSVP would have a big impact in Minnesota. In 2013, over 13,526 RSVP volunteers served 1.5 million hours, meeting critical needs in 1,893 public and non-profit agencies across Minnesota. MAVA highly values the infrastructure for volunteerism that RSVP provides. In some of the rural areas of the state RSVP is the only community-based volunteer connector organization for volunteers with opportunities. It would be a huge loss for Minnesota volunteerism infrastructure if RSVP is cut.
Keep in mind that this is The President's proposal. Congress will take action with regard to the CNCS budget.
Please contact your U.S. Senator and U.S. Representative to express your views on this issue. Here is some sample language for you to consider sharing:
Regarding the President's FY15 budget proposal for the Corporation for National and Community Service:
• "Do not move RSVP into the Volunteer Generation Fund. Maintain and expand RSVP and the Volunteer Generation Fund as separate programs. Do not support disinvestment in volunteer infrastructure or senior programming that comes with the drastic cut to RSVP proposed by The President. We need your support to prevent reduction of the RSVP program by two-thirds and the elimination of Senior Corps."
• "Please add Senior Corps to your "Wish List" in 2014."
• For House of Representative Member "Please sign onto the Congressman DeFazio letter in support of Senior Corps."
Contact information for your U.S. Senators and U.S. Representative can be found here: http://mn.gov/portal/government/federal/congress/minnesota-delegation.jsp
Please contact MAVA Public Affairs Chair, Adam Faitek at afaitek@accountabilitymn.org if you have any questions or comments.
-Kate Neuhaus