Each year the Virginia National Service Awards honor outstanding service from AmeriCorps and VISTA members, AmeriCorps Alums, and AmeriCorps Seniors from the past service year. This year we will be celebrating the honorees during AmeriCorps Week on March 8, 2022 (previously honored a the Virginia Volunteerism Conference) to highlight and amplify their incredible stories of service. The nomination process is open now!!! Please make sure to nominate your outstanding National Service members today and/or share with those who may be able to make nominations.

Virginia Volunteerism Summit - Special discounted early bird registration is now open for the Virginia Volunteerism Summit, May 4-5, 2022! Formerly the Virginia Volunteerism Conference, this two-day event will feature a dynamic new format and content! Day One will feature nationally-known speakers for a day of inspiration and motivation. Day Two is packed full of master class-style workshops to help you make an ever greater impact on your community. The Virginia Volunteerism Summit will also serve as the launching pad for the exciting new Virginia State Service Plan. Attendees will learn about how this framework will drive new partnerships that address community needs and strengthen volunteerism and service systems statewide in innovative ways.

We've drastically lowered our registration fee to make it easier for everyone to attend. Early Bird registration is now only $50 per attendee (through March 3). Starting March 4th, full price registration will be $75. This year the nominal transaction fee will NOT be paid for by the Virginia Service Commission.

For more information and registration visit https://cvent.me/LbQMPz

AmeriCorps Week Celebration - Everyone mark your calendars (especially your members)! The Virginia Service Commission is planning an AmeriCorps Week member celebration event on Wednesday, March 8, 2022. The celebration will include the Virginia National Service Awards, networking, workshops, panel discussions, an inspirational plenary session, and much more! Stay tuned for the agenda and registration information coming soon!

Life After AmeriCorps 2022 - The Virginia Service Commission is currently making plans for Life After AmeriCorps training events in June 2022. These sessions will be virtual and feature a variety of topics to help your members transition from service to their next adventure -- whether it be continued service, career, or continued education. Please let Kimberly Brown, kimberly.brown@dss.virginia.gov, know if you have any workshops planned related to Life After AmeriCorps for your members so we can better plan our offerings.

On3Learn Learning Management System - There are seats still available to our portfolio program staff to use to access on demand learning through On3Learn. A wide variety of courses are available to program staff working with AmeriCorps. For a full course sheet or if you'd like to attend a session, contact Leanne Costantinidis, leanne.costantinidis@dss.virginia.gov.

MLK Day of Service - The Virginia Service Commission wants to hear about your plans for the MLK Day of Service, January 17, 2022! We are here to promote your projects and help in any way we can to make your projects a success. Remember to share photos, videos, and stories from your projects on social media and make sure to tag us so we can amplify your posts!

The 2022 MLK Day Mini Grants are open through today! Apply ASAP if you need funds for projects: https://forms.gle/8AtrkVrNv13qLsgz5.