Ten Cities Get Chief Service Officers to Boost Volunteerism

What if US cities had public officials specifically dedicated to increasing volunteerism? It would be nice, wouldn't it, to feel that the administration of your town was taking steps to get people involved in civic life to improve communities from the inside out? Thanks to funding from the Rockefeller Foundation, ten cities will get just that chance.

The first-ever Cities of Service Leadership Grants will provide $200,000 two-year grants to fund the hiring of a Chief Service Officer in each city. The officials will be in charge of creating and implementing citywide efforts to boost volunteerism and get volunteers working where they're needed most.

New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, founding members of the Cities of Service coalition, along with Rockefeller Foundation President Dr. Judith Rodin announced last week that the winners of the grants are Chicago, Illinois; Detroit, Michigan; Los Angeles, California; Nashville-Davidson, Tennessee; Newark, New Jersey; Omaha, Nebraska; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Sacramento, California; Savannah, Georgia; and Seattle, Washington.

"In each of these ten unique and diverse cities, there will now be sustained opportunities to bring systematic change and greater impact to the way communities support each other," said Dr. Rodin. "There is an urgent need in local communities for volunteers, and a great need for public-private partnerships that foster and support these efforts during such a critical time."

The mayors of the winning cities were suitably pleased. "Today's announcement is a significant win," said Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson.

"These are tight times for city budgets," said Nashville Mayor Karl Dean. "This grant will allow us to have dedicated staff for developing service opportunities, something we wouldn't have been able to do otherwise."

Newark Mayor Cory Booker gushed with enthusiasm and then wrapped it up with three words that said it all: "We are grateful."

Photo courtesy of Rep. Keith Ellison via flickr