I will get things done for America – to make our people safer, smarter, and healthier.
I will bring Americans together to strengthen our communities.
Faced with apathy, I will take action.
Faced with conflict, I will seek common ground.
Faced with adversity, I will persevere.
I will carry this commitment with me this year and beyond.
I am an AmeriCorps member, and I will get things done.

The AmeriCorps Pledge

It was a sunny day in September of 1994 in Indianapolis, Indiana. I had signed up to serve in the inaugural year of AmeriCorps. Hundreds stood in the Indiana Statehouse — alongside 22,000 others across the country — prepared to be part of something that would build our communities. It was the first time I had ever been inside the statehouse of the state where I had lived most of my life. I remember the awe and sense of responsibility I felt that morning. I was excited and scared. It all felt big and important.

Led by President Clinton via a giant screen — before screens became a way we communicate —we repeated the AmeriCorps pledge.

I had just graduated from Indiana University in Bloomington. I was job searching and began babysitting for the Executive Director of the entity responsible for administering AmeriCorps funding across the state. Her enthusiasm and invitation met my service-oriented life and my tendency to say yes. I became an AmeriCorps member. Little did I know that experience ruined me. I take my role as a citizen seriously. I understand our interconnectedness — our interdependence — deeply. I can’t look away from injustice.

AmeriCorps builds on the rich history of national service in the United States. As explained on the website, AmeriCorps is committed to improving lives, fostering civic engagement, and strengthening communities across the impact areas of disaster services, economic opportunity, environmental stewardship, and education. I served as an AmeriCorps Member with the Twenty-first Century Scholars Program — a statewide higher education scholarship initiative — in Indianapolis. I tutored in public schools and created neighborhood-based enrichment programs for students and their families.

Happy Thirtieth Birthday, AmeriCorps. There are a few things I want to say. I do not need to explain that we live in challenging times. These are times when our world tilts daily toward and away from health, humanity, and even survival. We must wake up. AmeriCorps woke me up. I am grateful every job I have held since that September day has reminded my head, hands, and heart to live up to my pledge. I am grateful my life has been one of service to others. I learned that in AmeriCorps. I am grateful to pay attention and stay engaged — even when it is hard. I learned that in AmeriCorps, too. May the next 30 years (and beyond) strengthen as many (or more) lives and communities as the first 30 years. May the national commitment to our highest ideals — the foundation of AmeriCorps — grow exponentially this day and beyond. May the ethic of service — the heartbeat of AmeriCorps — inspire us all to get things done for our communities and our world.