Department of Conservation and Recreation
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Department of Conservation and Recreation
Media inquiries: Please contact Dave Neudeck, dave.neudeck@dcr.virginia.gov, 804-786-5053.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: March 28, 2019
Contact: Andrew Sporrer, Pr & Marketing Specialist, 804-217-1077, andrew.sporrer@dcr.virginia.gov
Virginia State Parks Recognizes the Service of AmeriCorps Members
Editors: for a photo, click here. Photo caption: Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation Director Clyde Cristman and Virginia State Parks Director Craig Seaver talk with DCR AmeriCorps members at the site of a future state park in Gloucester County.
RICHMOND – In 2017 and 2018, AmeriCorps members contributed hundreds of hours of work in Virginia State Parks impacting the lives of countless state park visitors. State park officials will recognize these contributions on April 2, National Service Recognition Day, kicking off National Volunteer month.
“Volunteers are the backbone of our state parks and so much of what they do is often in the background,” said Clyde Cristman, director of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, which manages Virginia State Parks. “From park friends groups to individual volunteers, hundreds of people help state parks in vital ways. Our AmeriCorps members epitomize the service ethos that makes Virginia State Parks the finest in the nation.”
National Service Recognition Day, honoring AmeriCorps members and Senior Corps volunteers, is led by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), Cities of Service, the National League of Cities and the National Association of Counties and .
There are 26 AmeriCorps members serving statewide, assisting in all 38 state parks. When their term of service concludes in August, they will be earn an education credit in addition to a monthly stipend.
“Our AmeriCorps crews receive training, certifications and the satisfaction of helping our state park system in vital ways,” said Jen Allen, Virginia State Parks East Region AmeriCorps program manager.
“So far this year, crew have created 31 miles of trails and helped improve 241 acres. They recruited another 123 volunteers and personally interacted with more than 700 visitors. The AmeriCorps program has served as a gateway for some people who begin as crew members and eventually gain fulltime employment in a state park. The program is valuable and crew members are an important part of the Virginia State Parks mission.”
To learn more about the National Day of Service, visit, https://www.nationalservice.gov/serve/Recognitionday.
For more information about AmeriCorps in Virginia State Parks, visit http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/ameri-corps.
For more information about volunteering in Virginia State Parks, visit http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/blog/id-like-to-tell-you-about-our-friends.
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