In recognition of AmeriCorps’ 30th anniversary, we aligned the 2024 AmeriCorps Texas Grantee Meeting with the larger celebration of national service with the theme Celebrate the Moment. Strengthen the Movement. This milestone provided a unique opportunity to leverage the wisdom of the past while embracing innovative approaches to drive even greater impact across the Lone Star State.

Some notable highlights of this year’s AmeriCorps Texas Grantee Meeting include:

• Celebrating a 30 year legacy. We commemorated 30 years of AmeriCorps by reflecting on how much national service has grown in Texas – from 10 programs with $3.6 million in funding in 2004 to 40 programs funded at $33.6 million this year! The impact of national service was also evident in the stories in the room: nearly 30 percent of attendees were AmeriCorps alums, each individual a testament to the life-changing influence of answering the call to service. During the event, we displayed stories and photos from attendees who had previously served.
• Engagement from national leaders. We were honored to have leaders from the federal AmeriCorps agency host sessions that offered forward-looking, big-picture perspectives to grantees. AmeriCorps CEO Michael Smith facilitated an engaging panel of AmeriCorps alums that provided diverse examples on how national service can lead to meaningful careers. Stephen Ravas, who leads the AmeriCorps Office of Inspector General, equipped grantees with insights on how to fight against waste, fraud, and abuse and improve efficiency of our programs. We are grateful for federal leaders who take the time to listen, back up words with action, and cast an inspiring vision for the future national service.
• Reconnecting with AmeriCorps alums. We had a special opportunity this year to bring together AmeriCorps alums to reconnect with the network and meet with current leaders of the national service movement. Nearly 40 participants gathered for our AmeriCorps Alums Social Hour at Turnstile Coffee, Beer and Spirits during the first day of the AmeriCorps Texas Grantee Meeting. Special thanks to AmeriCorps CEO Michael Smith, AmeriCorps Senior Advisor for Strategic Partnerships Yasmeen Shaheen-McConnell, and AmeriCorps Director of Public Engagement Tannikka Richardson for joining us in this special celebration!
• Highlighting excellence through AmeriCorps Texas Awards. We were thrilled to host the first-ever AmeriCorps Texas Awards as a showcase of the stellar accomplishments of AmeriCorps programs that have demonstrated an inspiring commitment to strengthening local communities and building up future leaders. We could think of no better way to commemorate 30 years of AmeriCorps than to raise up these impactful and innovative programs that embody the best of national service. Congratulations on this year’s extraordinary awardees, and thank you for inspiring us to reach for the stars!

The 2023 AmeriCorps Texas Grantee Meeting featured the theme of RE:engage, a “subject line” that regards the need for engagement in its many forms. How can we inspire and support our current, future, and past AmeriCorps members? How do we keep service site partners and communities we serve interested and involved in our work? The theme also doubled as a call to renew our enthusiasm for the impact of national service and take bold action as we move forward together.

This year, our AmeriCorps Texas Grantee Meeting was integrated with the Texas Nonprofit Summit, our annual statewide conference for Texas nonprofit changemakers, which offered AmeriCorps grantees extended opportunities for growth and networking.

Here are a few memorable highlights from this year’s AmeriCorps Texas Grantee Meeting:

• Coming together in-person. After three years of online events, we were thrilled to have the opportunity to bring all our grantees together to participate in community live and in-person. While we have remained engaged virtually, nothing beats holding space together in the same setting. Being in-person allowed the AmeriCorps Texas team and grantees to meet new folks, reconnect with long-time colleagues, and strengthen current relationships. The Ready, Set, Connect networking activity provided attendees with time to discuss challenges and best practices with new and old colleagues. It is through this relationship-building and sharing of insights that we can all grow AmeriCorps in Texas.
• Strategizing creative ways to recruit and retain members. Through a robust lunch and learn discussion with CitySquare and Serve Houston, grantees heard about recruitment challenges and best practices to address them. Three of our Workforce Development Planning grantees — American YouthWorks, Communities In Schools of San Antonio, and Reading Partners — shared career pathways they are seeking to develop for their members. Some of these strategies include member/mentor matching and coordination with employers to offering certifications and graduate school admissions support. Additionally, Mission Capital provided grantees with information on ethical data collection and strategies for how to share data stories through an equitable lens which could help support recruitment efforts.
• Supporting sites through a holistic approach. It is through supportive service sites that AmeriCorps members grow and thrive. Communities In Schools of Central Texas shared how incorporating member and site supervisor input and feedback sessions informed and improved their program model by making it more strengths-based and community-centered. Grantees learned about how Sewa practices cultural humility with their community by learning more about their cultures and using that information to inform how they do outreach and build productive service environments. Amy Salinas from On3Learn presented on the four dimensions of success and provided attendees with tools and strategies for successful multi-site management.