A RENEWED CALL TO CITIZEN SERVICE

 

 · Executive Summary ·

Massachusetts is known throughout the country as a leader in community service, community service-learning and volunteerism. In 1991, Massachusetts became the first state to establish a commission to develop and implement national and local community service initiatives. Since then, the state has been at the forefront of promoting service opportunities for all of its citizens. Boston’s City Year program, which brings together local citizens to address critical community needs, became a template for AmeriCorps programs across the United States. It was in Massachusetts that innovative programs such as YouthBuild, where at-risk youth gain valuable skills and earn GED credit while building low-income housing, and Jumpstart, a mentoring program that helps preschool children develop critical educational skills, were first expanded.

Service is comprised of community service, community service-learning, and volunteerism. These concepts encourage citizens and students to be active and engaged members of their communities and to address important community needs in a cost effective manner. Service can unite neighbors, mobilize volunteers and encourage a lifelong ethic of public participation. Every day, through the success of service programs in the state, students-in-need are matched with mentors, uninsured citizens are provided access to preventive health care services, and volunteers rise to the call to protect our city streets. The enthusiasm, dedication and creativity of the service leaders and volunteers in Massachusetts rivals states double its size.

The Senate Post Audit and Oversight Committee reviewed community service in Massachusetts and found service programs in the state are in serious jeopardy, despite the proven benefits and dedication from the field. The Committee discovered a complex and bureaucratic service infrastructure which, coupled with serious funding cuts, has curbed innovation, threatened the existence of successful programs and prevented new opportunities from being expanded. Without these programs, willing volunteers will be turned away and community needs will not be met. In light of current state and local budget constraints, support of these cost-effective service initiatives is more important than ever. Specifically, the Committee found the following:

·        The Massachusetts Service Alliance (Alliance), the state’s national commission and local expert on community service, is not codified in state statute.

·        Community service administration and oversight is currently divided among several agencies, diluting its effectiveness.

·        Community service-learning programs are funded in only 5% of public school districts in Massachusetts.

·        Only 21 of the state’s 29 public higher education institutions are members of the Massachusetts Campus Compact, which promotes community service-learning in higher education.

·        State funding for service programs has been reduced by 80%, from $5 million to just over $1 million in the past three years.

·        Funding cuts have reduced AmeriCorps from 29 to 22 programs, significantly decreased after school service-learning programs, and eliminated state elder service initiatives.

·        Innovative initiatives, such as YouthBuild Boston, are struggling to keep their doors open. Other service programs are limited by funding and statutory restrictions.

·        There is limited communication between the state’s service partners, which prevents the state from obtaining critical service data.

·        Every $1 invested in service programs generates more than $10 in matching federal and private funds.

Massachusetts cannot afford to let these trends continue. In order to maintain successful programs, promote volunteerism and create new service opportunities, service needs to be reformed throughout the state. To achieve these goals, the Committee recommends the Massachusetts Legislature and the Governor:

1. Adopt legislation known as the “Commonwealth Citizen Service Initiative” (CCSI). Successful passage of this legislation will leverage existing programs, create new efficiencies and expand public-private partnerships to ensure Massachusetts remains a leader in service. The CCSI would specifically:
1. Reform community service offices by codifying the Massachusetts Service Alliance, the state’s national commission and local expert on community service, in state statute and repealing dormant and duplicative offices.
2. Empower the Alliance with regulatory authority to improve community service, community service-learning and volunteerism. Allow the Alliance to adopt regulations to expand service opportunities, ensure the coordination of community service corps operating in the Commonwealth, act as a clearinghouse for service data, and encourage the corporate community to become more involved in service.
3. Create the Commonwealth Student Service Corps, a statewide service initiative that would match higher education students with community service-learning opportunities in their respective area of study. Supervised students would be partnered with professionals to address critical, societal needs in the areas of education, environment, health care and public safety, while gaining valuable field experience.
4. Authorize and direct the public higher education community, in cooperation with the Alliance, to develop initiatives (e.g. scholarships, housing vouchers and community awards) that would encourage service opportunities.
5. Authorize and direct the Department of Education to ensure community service-learning is offered to students at least once at every grade level, at every public school, and in every district.
6. Authorize and direct the Department of Education and the Board of Higher Education, in cooperation with the Alliance, to promote community service-learning as a means of fulfilling the state’s civic education requirements.
7. Streamline the state’s reporting mechanisms through the Alliance so the state can obtain, organize, and process critical data on service.
8. Expand opportunities for all citizens to serve in their communities.

2. Maintain and increase investments for service programs through the state budget process.

3. Adopt separate state legislation that would allow retired dentists to qualify for a volunteer dental license. Licensure would allow retired dentists to volunteer at free health care clinics that serve low-income individuals and those with limited access to dental care.

4. Adopt separate state legislation that would allow retired doctors and other health care professionals to qualify for a volunteer medical certification. Physicians would be able to provide volunteer care through the free care program.  

5. Adopt a resolution asking United States Senator Edward Kennedy, United States Senator John F. Kerry, and the entire congressional delegation to continue to fight for the preservation of the Corporation for National and Community Service and its service programs.

It has taken decades for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to build a strong service foundation. Through the reforms and recommendations outlined in this report, the state can preserve and expand its successes in community service, community service-learning, and volunteerism. The adoption of the Committee’s recommendations will strengthen neighborhoods, address critical needs in each community, increase the number of volunteers, expand service opportunities for all segments of society, and enhance the ethic of civic participation throughout the state.

 

· Introduction ·

Service is comprised of community service, community service-learning, and volunteerism, which share similar underlying tenets. Community service is the act of citizens donating their time to improve their communities through organized activities over a sustained period of time, while volunteerism tends to be a more episodic form of service.

Community service-learning (CSL), on the other hand, is a teaching method that incorporates traditional service opportunities into existing school curriculums. While there are more than 147 different definitions of community service-learning,[1] the National Commission on Service Learning defines it as “a teaching and learning approach that integrates community service with academic study to enrich learning, teach civic responsibility and strengthen communities.”[2] Through CSL, a conventional service opportunity, such as volunteers cleaning a local river, becomes a means of teaching science students about pollution and conservation, as well as how to develop solutions to community problems.

Service effectively transcends political lines, economic status, and age groups. The proven benefit of service programs is widespread. Service can ignite the very best minds, improve student achievement, expand teachers’ skills, unite neighbors, and help to strengthen communities. These methods encourage citizens to devise answers to problems in their communities, while at the same time, promote a life-long ethic of civic participation. Through service initiatives, people work part and full time, alone and in groups to clean abandoned parks, teach students-in-need, provide health care services to underinsured residents, and protect city streets. Without service programs, important community needs would remain unmet.

Massachusetts has established an impressive precedent for creative service initiatives. Several successful programs that were started in Boston, such as City Year and Citizen Schools, are models that have been replicated across the country. There is immense dedication from the service field in this state. Last year alone, more than 45,000 people in Massachusetts, through hundreds of organizations, generously donated their time to help strengthen and improve their communities.[3] The following are examples of how service helps address some of the state’s most pressing community needs.

Access to health insurance has become a growing national concern. More than 44 million people in the United States,[4] including between 460,000 and 630,000 in Massachusetts,[5] currently do not have any health insurance at all. For the uninsured and underinsured in the state, obtaining preventative health care services is increasingly more difficult because many doctors do not accept MassHealth, the state’s health insurance program for low-income residents. The lack of preventative care compounds people’s health problems, multiplies the cost of public health care, and threatens the sustainability of the entire health care system.

To address health care gaps like these in the greater Taunton area, the Taunton Student Health Corps (TSHC) was established. This AmeriCorps program enables undergraduate health and nursing students to gain valuable health care field experience, while offering clinical services to residents in need. Teri Sullivan, Director of the TSHC, wrote, “the goal of the Taunton Student Health Corps is to increase access to health care for the uninsured and underinsured, while providing supervised [community] service-learning experiences for students in health professions in order to prepare them for future public service and broaden the scope of community based health education opportunities.”[6]  In 2002, the TSHC expanded their scope to include a Mobil Oral Health Clinic, which travels to local public schools and housing developments to provide preventative oral health care services for uninsured and underinsured residents.[7]

Today, the TSHC collaborates with a wide array of partners, including Morton Hospital and Medical Center, Taunton Public Schools, Dorchester House Community Health Center, the United Way of Greater Attleboro and Taunton and other local leaders. Since 1998, Taunton Student Health Corps members have provided over 50,350 hours of preventative health care (including x-rays, health screenings, dental care, and education to promote lifelong wellness) to more than 72,600 people in the area.[8] 

TSHC Volunteer: Charles Rose, F.N.P.

As a nurse practitioner student attending the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Services, Charles Rose was attracted to the Taunton Student Health Corps because he felt it was a way to give back to the community while gaining clinical experience. While a member of the TSHC, Charles concentrated on outreach and preventative health care for the area’s homeless population. He conducted medical assessments, performed blood pressure screenings and TB tests, and administered preventative treatments for patients who had been turned away from traditional emergency room service. When asked about his experience with the TSHC, Charles recalled that, upon graduation, “many of my classmates felt anxious, insecure, and wondered if they would be okay being a medical provider. I did not have the same fear because critical thinking and problem solving were a large part of my training. I felt very satisfied and the result was an easy transition [to employment].”[9]  Currently, Charles works as a family nurse practitioner in a medical office and continues to volunteer in the community.   

Program Recipient: Ms. Gail McDonald, Middleboro, Massachusetts

Gail McDonald, a resident of Middleboro, was attending the Women’s Health Network, a state program that provides breast and cancer screening to low-income women. However, Gail was suffering from a host of aliments, including “high blood pressure, high cholesterol, chronic sinusitis, fibromyalgia and chronic gastric reflux disease,” that the Women’s Health Network was unable to treat. Her complex medical condition required constant monitoring, several different types of medication, and prevented her from maintaining steady employment. Since she could no longer afford the necessary screening and medication, her health soon began to fail dramatically.  In 2002, Gail was directed to the Taunton Student Health Corps, where they monitored her condition, regulated her medications and provided the preventative clinical services she needed to maintain her health.[10] Today, Gail still praises the high quality care that she received through the Taunton Student Health Corps.

Unplanned community development, or sprawl, continues to take a serious toll on the nation’s open space and farmlands. Between 1992 and 1997, more than 6.1 million acres of farmland were developed in the United States.[11] In Massachusetts, open space is being developed at 44 acres per day or 25 square miles each year.[12] In fact, the Commonwealth is consuming land seven times faster than its population growth rate[13] and has lost more than 33,500 acres of farmland to development between 1985 and 1999.[14] The loss of species habitat, increased traffic, higher levels of pollution and less affordable housing options for residents are consequences of unregulated sprawl.

The Food Project is a local, non-profit organization that uses community service to protect, restore and educate people about community farmlands. Through the Food Project, youth and adults farm over 33 acres of land that have been “transformed from vacant lots into lush, city farms” in Lincoln, Roxbury and Dorchester.[15] Together these volunteers produce organic vegetables, practice sustainable agriculture and build awareness about social issues such as hunger. The Food Project generates 260,000 pounds of produce that is donated to food pantries and sold at local farmers’ markets each season.[16]  Through The Food Project, “youth and adults learn that work on the land can be a powerful equalizer, teacher and catalyst for personal, local and global change.”[17] The Food Project volunteers provide hunger relief to the community, promote local community farming, teach organic practices, and support sustainable agriculture, all while preserving open space in a state that is becoming increasingly overdeveloped. 

The Food Project Volunteer: Margaret Lord

For over three years Margaret Lord, a Boston resident, has volunteered with The Food Project. Margaret has helped with all phases of managing The Food Project’s urban gardens in her community, from planting and tending, to harvesting the land. Through her efforts, contaminated lots have been converted into urban gardens, valuable land has been preserved, neighboring gardeners have been brought together, and shelters throughout Boston have been supplied with organic produce. Praising the program as a successful community builder, Margaret continues to volunteer with The Food Project today. [18]

The Food Project Recipient: The Pine Street Inn

In 2003, The Food Project donated thousands of pounds of produce to eight homeless shelters and soup kitchens throughout the state.[19] The food they delivered, which was organically grown in their gardens, supplied almost 250,000 meals for the hungry.[20] The Pine Street Inn, a homeless shelter with 25 locations throughout the greater Boston area, is just one of the many recipients of The Food Project’s food donations. In turn, The Pine Street Inn provides shelter, job training and hunger relief for the city’s homeless population.  

Research shows that early education has long-term, positive benefits on a child’s development. Children that have access to early education opportunities “develop better language skills, score higher in school-readiness tests and have better social skills and fewer behavioral problems once they enter school.”[21] A national survey on mentoring found that youths who had access to proper educational support programs were 52% less likely to skip school and 31% less likely to use violence.[22] However, almost 6,000 preschool-aged children in Massachusetts are currently on waiting lists for early education enrollment and financial assistance.[23]

Jumpstart is a non-profit mentoring organization that provides youths with the educational and social tools necessary to succeed at an early age. Adults are matched with preschoolers on a one-to-one mentoring basis to help develop students’ reading, language, and social skills. When college students are asked about their experience with Jumpstart, 93% said it connected them to their community, 94% felt it helped them develop leadership skills, and 96% would encourage their classmates to mentor with Jumpstart.[24]  Based in Boston, Jumpstart has been successfully replicated in18 states, 44 cities and towns, and reaches more than 6,000 children throughout the country. [25]

Mentoring Partnership: Shavon and James

Shavon Lynch, a student at the University of Massachusetts Boston, was a Jumpstart Boston mentor from 2002-2004. While at Jumpstart, Shavon worked on a one-on-one basis with James, a five year old preschooler. For the first three years of his life, James had been separated from his mother because she was incarcerated. As a result, he would not socialize with the other children and was not interested in books, reading or writing. James was extremely frustrated and would often use violence instead of words to express his feelings. For an entire year, Shavon spent 15 hours a week directly reading, singing and drawing with James.[26]

Shavon spoke about her mentoring experience and the value of Jumpstart at an AmeriCorps press conference in June of 2003. “If I can make a change in the life of one child, imagine the impact on thousands of children whose lives have been changed by Jumpstart Corps members. We know we’ve given them the skills they need to enter school prepared to succeed, and we know that these children will carry with them what we’ve taught them for a lifetime. Jumpstart helps us prove that we are… caring citizens who invest in the world around us and are dedicated to making it better. Jumpstart helps us turn that energy and commitment into action.”[27] As a result of Shavon’s dedication at Jumpstart, James has mastered his numbers, can recite the alphabet, and uses words to express his feelings, all skills he needs to excel in kindergarten.[28]    

“A rite of passage, a ticket to advancement, a first job, a bulwark of our national strength, an emblem of citizenship, a national social support network, a source of civic pride and improvement, a useful way to spend one’s retirement, a route to self-discipline and maturity-national service can be all these things.” Democratic Leadership Council, Citizenship and National Service: A Blueprint for Civic Enterprise , 1988

· National History ·

America has a long and powerful history of community service. Whether to provide educational services or to prevent hunger, local service programs have always brought neighbors together to address specific needs in their communities. However, the first effort to organize and mobilize volunteers at a national level did not take place until 1930 with the establishment of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corps. A product of the New Deal era, the Civilian Corps provided youth with the opportunity to revitalize community parks for a small stipend. At once, it energized a young generation to improve the world around them.

Since 1930, several key federal initiatives have helped shape the service movement and strengthen the nation. In the 1940’s, President Roosevelt’s landmark G.I. Bill provided education benefits in return for a commitment to serve in the army. Service was a central theme for President John F. Kennedy, who challenged citizens to do more for their country in his 1961 inaugural address to the nation. Later that year, President Kennedy created the Peace Corps so volunteers could go abroad to assist developing countries in need. Using the Peace Corps as a prototype, President Lyndon B. Johnson created the Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) program, which became the primary infrastructure for coordinating domestic volunteer opportunities.

National service grew in popularity as more people began to see it as means of addressing a wider range of community issues. In 1987, five college presidents united to form the National Campus Compact, which created a formal structure to promote community service-learning in higher education. In a 1988 speech, President George H. W. Bush praised the commitment of volunteers and community service leaders, calling them the country’s “thousand points of light,”[29] and later established the non-profit Points of Light Foundation to help strengthen service programs through technical support and training assistance.

While a multitude of people went on to volunteer through these individual programs, they were not part of a structured national agenda. In 1993, national service became unified under one roof – the Corporation for National and Community Service (Corporation). Born out of the reauthorization of Senator Edward M. Kennedy’s National and Community Service Act of 1990, the Corporation was charged with overseeing two existing national service programs, the Senior Service Corps and Learn and Serve America, as well as President William Clinton’s new AmeriCorps program. These three programs have become the central pillars for national community service. The Senior Corps provides people over the age of 55 with the opportunity to become Foster Grandparents to children, Senior Companions to adults in need, and gives them the means to volunteer in their communities through the Retired Seniors Volunteering Program (RSVP). Federal Learn and Serve grants support community service-learning in programs from kindergarten through college. AmeriCorps members commit a full year of service to address educational, environmental, public safety, human service, and homeland security needs in the community, and in return, receive an educational award and small stipend [Appendix E].

Local service programs, which are best able to identify and respond to the specific needs of a community, provided the foundation upon which these national initiatives were built. Accordingly, the Corporation offered funding as incentive for each state to develop Service Commissions to promote local service agendas and serve as liaisons between national and local programs. In his account on national service history, author Frank Dirks wrote, “state commissions have become some of the Corporation’s most critical partners by providing the infrastructure for a national grassroots program network and serving as compelling demonstrations of the Corporation’s renewed commitment to bi-partisanship and local control.”[30] Currently, a total of 50 state Service Commissions promote community service throughout the nation.

Through a strengthened national and local partnership, service opportunities have been expanded for people throughout the country. These collective efforts have produced tangible results. More than 2 million people participate in national community service and volunteer programs each year,[31] adding over $239 billion to the country’s economy in 2000 alone.[32]  

 

“The experience of Sept[ember] 11 has re-awakened a civic spirit among Americans who want to put their ideals into action – to give back to their country and their communities. An active citizenry makes America stronger. We must work to expand-not cut opportunities among our citizenry.” United States Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Dover-Sherborn Press, June 26, 2003

· Massachusetts Service System ·

Massachusetts established itself as a national service leader when it became the first state in the country to create a Service Commission, two years before the federal mandate was established. The state’s Service Commission on national and local community service, called the Massachusetts Service Alliance (Alliance), was created through funding from the National Community Service Act of 1990. Established by state executive order,[33] the Alliance is not codified in state statute and does not have regulatory authority to create or enforce policies for service programs.

To promote quality service programs, the Alliance invests federal and state funds in programs, provides technical and training support to organizations, and advocates for ways to strengthen service throughout the state. The Alliance oversees several key service programs in the state, including AmeriCorps, mentoring, and community-based service-learning programs. Since its inception, the Alliance has worked to ensure Massachusetts remains on the forefront of national and local service issues.

To leverage maximum support for volunteers and service programs in the state, the Alliance works with state agencies, non-profits, and private companies throughout Massachusetts. The Alliance collaborates with three service partners to help deliver national service programs in the state. These partners, the Department of Education (DOE), Massachusetts Campus Compact (MACC), and the state office of the Corporation for National and Community Service, administer service programs in public schools, higher education institutions, and for senior citizens. To offer a full spectrum of service opportunities, the Alliance also works with various non-profit and private organizations, such as the Corporate Volunteer Council and United Way volunteer centers.

The Department of Education is the service partner that awards federal Learn and Serve America grants for community service-learning programs in the state’s public schools. In 2000, the DOE created a Community Service Learning Advisory Council to promote the state CSL agenda. The Council issued a survey to all public school districts to determine the extent, methods, and outcomes of CSL in the state’s public school curriculums. Data was also collected on the type of programs, funding sources, percentage of students engaged in CSL, and the impact programs have on students, schools, and communities. The DOE anticipated that results from the survey would be available by the Fall of 2002, but the report had yet to be released at the conclusion of the Committee’s investigation.[34] According to available program data, the DOE funds community service-learning opportunities in only 5% of local school districts,[35] compared to a national average of at least 32%.[36]

The Massachusetts Campus Compact, another service partner, is the organization responsible for administering CSL programs and distributing federal Learn and Serve America funds to the state’s colleges and universities. Currently, 21 of the state’s 29 public higher education institutions are members of MACC,[37] and 36% of approximately 263,000 students participate in CSL activities.[38] While MACC administers grant money to promote CSL, the Board of Higher Education (BHE) is the state agency that has the authority to oversee higher education policy and sets the educational priorities for the state’s colleges and universities. In addition to Learn and Serve grants, higher education schools can also fund service opportunities through the federal Work Study Program, which helps students pay for college by working in their school, the government or non-profit agencies.  Participating schools are required to designate a portion of Work Study Funds towards CSL activities. Massachusetts state schools appropriate an average of 10.7% of the funds to CSL, which is below the national average of 12.5%.[39]

The state office of the Corporation for National and Community Service, the state’s third service partner, administers the Senior Service Corps. People over 55 can participate in three different service programs: Foster Grandparents, Senior Companions or the Retired Senior Volunteering Program (RSVP). In Massachusetts, more than 8,500 people volunteered in one of these senior service programs in 2003.[40]

Each of these service partners generates important information about program efficacy, recruitment strategies, and community needs. However, they work independent of one another in promoting their element of the state’s service agenda. Communication is further limited because there is no state mandate that requires the service partners to share data with each other or to collate information in one central location. Without these reporting mechanisms, the state lacks the ability to obtain and process critical data on service.

In addition to these three partners, a state Office of Volunteerism was established in 1997, [41] duplicating the administrative functions of the Alliance. While the office remains in Massachusetts General Laws, it is currently dormant and serves no function in the present service infrastructure. Three other state agencies have legislative authority to administer service programs independent of the Alliance: The Department of Elder Affairs, the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, and the Department of Education. These agencies have authority to administer programs that often duplicate other state and national programs, and are not monitored by the Alliance. 

Without being codified in Massachusetts General Laws, the Alliance is prevented from developing regulations that could strengthen service initiatives, eliminate unnecessary duplication, and ensure communication between service partners. These structural limitations in the state’s service system thwart its ability to expand new service opportunities and strengthen existing programs.

· Massachusetts Service Programs ·

Massachusetts is known throughout the country for its successful and creative service initiatives. Over 143 national service programs are run in the state, as well as hundreds of additional programs administered by private and non-profit organizations.[42] Several initiatives first started in Boston, such as City Year and Citizen Schools, have been replicated across the country. While the federal government provides funding for many state service programs, the state is responsible for the coordination, implementation and ultimately the success of these programs. The following is a brief overview of some of the key service programs in the state.

Administrator: Massachusetts Service Alliance

Program Description: First modeled after Boston’s City Year program, AmeriCorps programs have been replicated in 50 states throughout the country. Members receive an education award and a small stipend in exchange for a one year commitment to help meet educational, environmental, public health, and human service needs in their communities.

Community Benefits: In 2001, the Alliance ran 29 programs, with 898 members participating in community service programs throughout the state.[43]  More than 8,300 fulltime members have generated over 8.2 million hours of service since 1994.[44]

Example: One of these programs is the Massachusetts Forests and Parks AmeriCorps program, whose 20 members help revitalize neighborhood parks, maintain community trails, and teach about the environment in local schools.[45]

Administrators: Massachusetts Service Alliance (community-based programs);

Department of Education (school-based programs); Massachusetts Campus Compact (higher education programs)

Program Description: Community service-learning is a teaching strategy that incorporates community service into existing school curriculums. CSL opportunities exist at every grade level, as well as collaborations between neighboring communities.

Community Benefits: Community service-learning effectively improves students’ academic performance by connecting them to hands-on experiences. It energizes teachers by expanding their teaching strategies and strengthens community-school relationships. It is also an effective teaching approach to promote civic engagement in students and can be used to fulfill the state’s civic education requirements for public schools.[46] Over 36,000 students- kindergarten through college- participate in community service-learning activities throughout Massachusetts each year.[47]  

Example: The Wareham Public School system partners with neighboring towns and collaborates with the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth on community service-learning projects.

Administrator: Corporation for National and Community Service-state office

Program Description: Through the Senior Service Corps, people over 55 can become Foster Grandparents to children, Senior Companions to adults in need or donate their time in their communities through the Retired Seniors Volunteer Program (RVSP).

Community Benefits: In 2000, there were more than 34 million people 65 years or older in the United States and it is projected that over the next two decades the number will double to over 70 million people.[48] The growing numbers of seniors are also increasingly active, educated, and willing to serve in their communities. These seniors can help care for the growing number of seniors, as well as provide other valuable services in the community. In 2003, more than 8,500 seniors volunteered in one of the Senior Service Corps programs throughout Massachusetts.[49]

Example: Through the Worcester Area RSVP, 650 members a year volunteer in 85 non-profit organizations in the region, such as local HeadStart classrooms where seniors act as mentors to low-income preschoolers.[50]

Administrator:  Massachusetts Service Alliance

Program Description: Caring adults are matched on a one-on-one basis with youth in need of academic and social help. 

Community Benefits: Through these programs, adults teach youth reading, writing and other educational skills. These one-on-one relationships also provide youth with emotional support and help strengthen their self-esteem. In 1999, the Alliance developed more than 1,661 partnerships between youth in need and nurturing adults through 43 programs. [51]  

Example: Springfield School Volunteers are matched with students to help with homework, act as MCAS tutors and volunteer in the school libraries each week.[52]

Administrator: Non-profit, governed by local volunteers

Program Description: The United Way of America Volunteer Centers represent a common way for citizens to be matched with community service programs in their area.

Community Benefits: In 2003, the United Way of Massachusetts Bay ran 11 volunteer centers, which dedicated more than $5 million to over 68 community service agencies throughout the state.[53]

Example: United Way of Greater New Bedford administers the Federal Emergency Food and Shelter Program for Bristol County. Among other services that it provides, this program helps over a quarter of the people in that region obtain emergency food and shelter.[54]

Administrator: Non-profit, governed by members

Program Description: The Corporate Volunteer Council (CVC) of Greater Boston is part of a national network of companies that strive to strengthen the ethic of community service in the private sector. The CVC of Greater Boston represents a wide array of local business from manufacturing to telecommunications.

Community Benefits: Private companies provide a vital link to further advance the state’s community service programs and volunteer efforts. Corporations invest matching funds to help sustain local programs and provide incentives that encourage employees to volunteer.

Example: PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP (PwC) is a private corporation that is known in Massachusetts for its outstanding commitment to community service. PwC is listed among the top five United Way National Corporate Leadership Companies for cultivating over $750,000 for community service partners in 2001.[55]

“If we are going to solve our problems with limited resources, we are going to have to resort to old fashion notions of service.” President Bill Clinton Steven Waldman, The Bill: How the Adventures of Clinton’s National Service Bill Reveal What is Corupt, Comic, Cynical-and Noble-About Washington . (N.Y.: Penguin Group, 1995) 9.

 

· Funding ·

Service initiatives are financed through state and federal appropriations, as well as local and private matching funds. The Corporation for National and Community Service dedicates two-thirds of its funding to state Service Commissions who in turn raise local, state, and private money to award competitive grants to service programs.[56] For over a decade, the state has dedicated several line-items to fund various service programs, such as community service learning initiatives. Today, the state appropriates money for only two Alliance line-items that support AmeriCorps and mentoring programs.

By applying volunteer services to unmet community needs, the service model has proven to be a cost-effective investment of both public and private money. At the AmeriCorps opening ceremony in 1996, Governor William Weld said service was “possibly one of the most intelligent uses of taxpayers’ dollars ever.”[57] The following local and national research quantifies the value of service programs:

• In Massachusetts, every dollar the state invests in service programs generates over $10 in federal and private matching funds.[58] 
• In Massachusetts, it is estimated that volunteer time is worth over $20 per hour.[59]
• Nationally, the administration of CSL programs costs an average of less than 1% of a school’s total per pupil cost.[60]
• In California, service-learning generated an average of $580 per pupil to the local communities.[61]
• In Massachusetts, every dollar invested in AmeriCorps programs generates as much as $8.40 in additional community benefits.[62]
• Nationally, the number of hours volunteers serve in their communities equals 6.3 million paid employees. [63]
• Youth service is equal to over $34 billion a year to the national economy.[64]
• Volunteer services contribute over $239 billion a year to the national economy.[65]

Despite the proven return on investment of service programs, the commitment from the state has waned in recent years. In the face of strong legislative support, Acting Governor Jane Swift vetoed $2.5 million in funding for the Alliance and its service programs in the Fiscal Year 2003 state budget.[66] Since 2001, state money for service programs has been reduced by 80%, from $5 million to $1 million.[67]

This drastic reduction has negatively affected every aspect of service in the state, including administration, technical training, and outreach efforts. Successful AmeriCorps programs have been eliminated in communities from Boston to Pittsfield. State funding is no longer available for school, community-based or higher education service-learning programs. Similarly, state funding has been eliminated in its entirety for senior community service programs. The line-item for mentoring initiatives was cut by 72%, significantly reducing the effectiveness of these programs. Over the last few years, the state has weathered a turbulent recession, causing budget cuts to numerous social programs and creating a gap in the services they provide to the state. Community service programs are a cost-effective way to help fill these service needs as the state navigates through difficult financial periods.

The significant reduction in state appropriations for service programs has been exasperated by federal funding cuts. In 2003, while the Corporation for National and Community Service celebrated its ninth anniversary, President Bush and Congress made drastic funding reductions to service programs. Despite promises made by President Bush in his 2001 State of the Union address to increase volunteers throughout the country,[68] many states’ AmeriCorps programs were cut, including a 58% reduction in Massachusetts in 2003.[69] At a rally before concerned supporters, Mayor Thomas M. Menino claimed that the federal government had “cut the heart out of volunteerism.”[70] The cuts were admonished by many groups that work with service programs, including 200 corporate leaders who placed advertisements in newspapers urging President Bush and Congress to restore funding and save AmeriCorps programs.[71]

In January 2004, a federal omnibus spending bill was signed into law, which restored funding for the Corporation. However, the federal government’s renewed commitment to community service did not repair the damage from the previous budget cuts. Many programs were unable to make long term decisions and commitments regarding staff, administration, and volunteer recruitment. Currently, YouthBuild Boston is struggling to survive because federal reimbursement has fluctuated drastically over the last two years.

It is evident that service is a worthwhile investment that generates federal, state, and private matching funds. However, record low state funding limits the expansion of service programs, while inconsistent federal appropriations create an unstable field. The effects of these trends are felt in service programs throughout the state.

“[Youth] yearn to find solutions to the problems that face our state, our nation, and the world they will inherit. Young people look for meaning and ask, ‘How is what I am learning today preparing me for tomorrow?’ Service-learning provides an answer to that question.” Service-learning Linking Classrooms and Communities , The Report of the Superintendent’s Service-Learning Task Force, CA DOE, 1999

 

· Findings·

The Senate Committee on Post Audit and Oversight investigated the community service system in Massachusetts through extensive research, interviews and analysis. The Committee found that, despite the proven benefits of community service and dedication from the field, Massachusetts service programs are in serious jeopardy. The Committee discovered that the state’s complex and bureaucratic service infrastructure, coupled with severe budget cuts, has curbed innovation, eliminated successful programs and prevented new service opportunities from being explored. Without these programs, willing volunteers are turned away and community needs remain unmet. In light of the current state and local budget constraints, support of these cost-effective programs is more important than ever. Specifically, the Committee found the following:

Service Infrastructure

·       Over the past decade, Massachusetts has established a reputation as a national service leader through the dedication of volunteers, educators, community leaders and other participants in the service field.

·       The Massachusetts Service Alliance, despite its role as the state’s Service Commission, is not codified in state statute. This prevents the Alliance from promulgating regulations to strengthen service initiatives, eliminate unnecessary duplication, and ensure communication between service partners in the state.

·       A strong state Service Commission, with the proper authority to promote the state’s service agenda, is critical to the success of local service programs.[72]

·       The service infrastructure in Massachusetts is divided between the Alliance, the Department of Education and the National Corporation for Community Service state office, which creates duplicative administration, unclear communication channels, and dilutes the effectiveness of the Alliance as the state’s service commission.

·       Dormant offices duplicate the role of the Alliance, creating an additional and unnecessary level of state bureaucracy.

·       Service organizations and agencies are not required to file annual reports with the Alliance. Without this data, the Alliance is limited in its ability to make decisions about the success of existing service programs, target new volunteer populations, and create new service opportunities.

·       Despite the Alliance’s designation as the state service commission, there are currently three state agencies that have legislative authority to independently administer state service programs exclusive of oversight of or coordination with the Alliance.

Service Partners

• The Department of Education has not made community service-learning a priority. Community service-learning opportunities are funded in only 5% of the state’s public school districts,[73] compared with a national average of at least 32%.[74]

• It has taken the Department of Education more than two years to compile a statewide CSL survey of public school districts. The DOE missed a 2002 reporting deadline to produce findings about participation, outcomes, and funding of CSL activities.[75]

• Nearly 263,000 students attend one of the state’s 29 public colleges and universities each year, making it one of the fastest growing higher education systems in the country.[76] Over 5.2 million service hours, or the equivalent of 2,080 full-time employees, could be generated if every student participated in only 20 hours of CSL activities per year.[77] Students would gain valuable life experiences, while expanding community service throughout the state. 

• The Board of Higher Education is not fully realizing the potential impact that community service-learning and higher education could have on the state. Only 21 out of 29 public institutions are members of the Massachusetts Campus Compact[78] and only 36% of public higher education students participate in community service-learning activities each year.[79]

• Both public and private universities have successfully implemented school-wide CSL programs. The private University College of Citizenship and Public Service at Tufts, as well as the Feinstein Center at the University of Rhode Island are entirely dedicated to promoting the ethic of community service. These are models that Massachusetts could replicate.
• The Alliance has created the state MASSCorps programs in order to alleviate the effects felt by the AmeriCorps program cuts. If Alliance was granted greater control and authority, they could create innovative programs like this in other service fields.  

Benefits of Service

·       Community service, community service-learning and volunteerism help meet educational, environmental, public safety, and human service needs in the state. Successful programs match youth-in-need with adult education mentors, help preserve community farmlands, and provide uninsured residents with preventative health care services.

·       It is estimated that volunteer time was worth over $20 per hour in 2002 in Massachusetts.[80]

·       Students engaged in structured community service-learning programs have shown an improvement in academic performance, attendance and conduct. According to a Florida Learn and Serve Report, students’ grade point averages improved by 74%, attendance improved by 62%, and discipline problems were reduced by 68%.[81]

·       Teachers who incorporate community service-learning into their lesson plans find it expands their teaching skills, reenergizes their work, and makes teaching more meaningful.[82] 

·       Community service-learning builds a stronger relationship between schools and communities.[83]

·       Community service-learning is an effective teaching approach to fulfilling the state’s civic education requirements for public schools and promoting civic engagement in students.[84]

·       In California, CSL generated an average of $580 per pupil to local communities.[85]

·       Children who are exposed to service opportunities are three times as likely to volunteer when they become adults.[86]

·       College seniors who dedicated a minimum of 6 hours per week to a service program were twice as likely to serve after graduation.[87]

·       AmeriCorps members have generated over 8.2 million service hours since 1994.[88]

·       Of the youth served through the Massachusetts Mentoring Initiative, 56% demonstrated better school attitudes toward attending classes and 85% illustrated improved self confidence.[89] 

·       One of the fastest growing segments in the nation is comprised of people 65 and older. They are also increasingly educated, mobile and willing to serve.

Funding

·       State funding for the Alliance has been reduced by 80%, from $5 million to $1 million in less than three years.[90] This reduction has resulted in the termination of service programs and a decrease in volunteer recruitment.

·       Federal funding has fluctuated drastically over the last three years, creating an unstable and unpredictable environment for service programs, volunteers and the communities that depend on these services.

·       Funding cuts have reduced the state’s AmeriCorps programs from 29[91] to 22.[92] One of the remaining programs, YouthBuild Boston, is a successful program that may lack the funding to continue.

·       State funding for school, community, and higher education based community service-learning programs has been eliminated. These state appropriations used to fund 121 programs for kindergarten through college students.[93]

·       The line item for state mentoring programs has been reduced by 72%, which has caused programs to be reduced from 43[94] to 17.[95]

·       State funding for Elder Service Corps has been eliminated. In 2003, 281 volunteers generated over 224,000 service hours at 133 host sites around the state through the Elder Service Corps.[96]

·       Community service-learning is a cost-effective service model. The United States Department of Education found that the average CSL initiative cost less than 1% of the total per pupil cost, based on an average per public cost of $6,855 a year.[97]

·       Community service-learning opportunities can be expanded without large outside grants or additional state funding if programs are made a central priority of the state and local school districts. The National Statistics found that at least 84% of schools did not receive outside funding to run programs.[98] 

·       Massachusetts higher education institutions do not devote as much federal Work Study funding to community service activities as other states. In 2002, Massachusetts designated 10.7% of Work Study Funds to service compared to the national average of 12.5%.[99] 

·       The state appropriated $900,000 to the Alliance to run AmeriCorps programs in 2003, which generated over 8.4 million dollars in a combination of matching private and federal funds.[100]

“Let us pledge to restore in our time the American spirit of voluntary service, of cooperation, of citizen action, of private and community initiative, a spirit that flows like a deep and mighty river through the heart of the history of this nation.” -Ronald Reagan, Republican National Convention, July 17, 1980

·Recommendations ·

It has taken the Commonwealth of Massachusetts decades to become a national leader for service and the state cannot afford to lose this status. Based upon extensive investigation and findings, the Senate Committee on Post Audit and Oversight has developed ways to preserve and expand upon the state’s vibrant history of service. The following recommendations build on the past success of service initiatives in the Commonwealth and create new opportunities for the future. 

1. Adopt legislation known as the “Commonwealth Citizen Service Initiative” (CCSI) [Appendix A]. Successful passage of this legislation will leverage existing programs, create new efficiencies, and expand public-private partnerships to ensure Massachusetts remains a leader in service. The CCSI would specifically:

1. Reform community service offices by codifying the Massachusetts Service Alliance, the state’s national commission and local expert on community service, in state statute and repealing dormant and duplicative offices.

2. Empower the Alliance with regulatory authority to improve community service, community service-learning and volunteerism. Allow the Alliance to adopt regulations to expand service opportunities, ensure the coordination of community service corps operating in the Commonwealth, act as a clearinghouse for service data, and encourage the corporate community to become more involved in service.

3. Create the Commonwealth Student Service Corps, a statewide service initiative that would match higher education students with community service-learning opportunities in their respective area of study. Supervised students would be linked with professionals to address critical societal needs in the areas of education, environment, health care and public safety, while gaining valuable field experience.

4. Authorize and direct the public higher education community, in cooperation with the Alliance, to develop initiatives (e.g. scholarships, housing vouchers and community awards) that would encourage service opportunities.

5. Authorize and direct the Department of Education to ensure that community service-learning is offered to students at least once at every grade level, at every public school, and in every district.

6. Authorize and direct the Department of Education and the Board of Higher Education, in cooperation with the Alliance, to promote community service-learning as a means of fulfilling the state’s civic education requirements.

7. Streamline the state’s reporting mechanisms through the Alliance so the state can obtain, organize, and process critical data on service.

8. Expand opportunities for all citizens to serve in their communities.

2. Maintain and increase investments for service programs through the state budget process.

3. Adopt legislation, filed and attached, that would allow retired dentists to qualify for a volunteer dental license. Licensure would allow them to volunteer at free health clinics that serve low-income individuals and those with limited access to dental care [Appendix B].

4. Adopt separate state legislation, filed and attached, that would allow retired doctors and other health care professionals to qualify for a volunteer medical license. Physicians would be able to provide volunteer care through the free care program [Appendix C].

5. Adopt a resolution asking United States Senator Edward Kennedy, United States Senator John F. Kerry, and the entire national delegation to continue to fight for the preservation of the Corporation for National and Community Service and it service programs is a national priority [Appendix D].

In order to preserve and expand upon the state’s successes in community service, community service-learning, and volunteerism, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts must adopt the reforms outlined in this report. The Committee’s recommendations will strengthen neighborhoods, address critical needs in each community, increase the number of volunteers, expand service opportunities for all segments of society, and enhance the ethic of service throughout the state.