The State Service Leadership Award recognizes leaders who understand how service is a unique strategy to meet pressing community needs.
This year’s recipient is Senator Orrin Hatch. Senator Hatch has been a US Senator from Utah since 1977, and has been a long time supporter of AmeriCorps, volunteerism, and state service commissions. He co-sponsored the Serve America Act legislation, and during floor debates made the case to his colleagues about the importance of national service and the critical role state service commissions play. Through his efforts, he helped expand AmeriCorps and implement the Serve America Act.
Senator’s Orrin Hatch’s statement:
“I want to take a moment to discuss the role of the state service commissions under this bill and the existing national service system. One thing that was very important to me when we drafted this legislation, was to make sure that the states were given a primary role in the program, so we would have 50 state laboratories…Effective grants, oversight, and planning by commissions is essential to the integrity of these new programs…Increasingly, state commissions take the lead role in managing volunteers and donations in response to national disasters…I think it’s clear that the state service commissions are up to the task of overseeing much of the work that will be done under the Serve America Act and I certainly will be glad to see them take on this much larger role that this bill will give them the opportunity to do.”
We commend Senator Hatch’s work and thank him greatly for his efforts! Congratulations.
statecommissions.wordpress.com 