SERVE Philadelphia 3-Year Progress Report

Posted by on December 16, 2013

Mayor Michael A. Nutter and the Mayor’s Office of Civic Engagement and Volunteer Service are proud to release the SERVE Philadelphia 3-Year Progress Report.

“By uniting volunteers from across sectors, we are maximizing impact and empowering citizens with diverse expertise to invest their time and talent in Philadelphia’s future,” said Mayor Nutter. “This has led to thousands of adults coaching high school students to graduation, a significant increase in volunteers working with adult learners, stronger Park Friends Groups, greater collaboration between programs that serve our seniors and many other volunteer-led initiatives that make our communities safer, stronger and more vibrant.”

Highlights of the report include:

• Close to 50 AmeriCorps VISTAs serving in City departments have engaged over 10,000 volunteers since 2010 in advancing priority initiatives, including the Mayor’s Graduation Coach Campaign and the PhillyRising Collaborative.

• 70,000 citizens have participated in the annual Philly Spring Clean Up since 2008, clearing more than 8 million pounds of trash and recycling from city streets and neighborhood parks.

• 110,000 individuals have visited www.SERVEPhiladelphia.com since January 2011, 30% of whom return on a regular basis to sign up for volunteer opportunities.

“The success of SERVE Philadelphia is far from the story of a single office or initiative. Instead, it reflects the collective commitment of City departments, working in partnership with Philadelphia’s outstanding non-profit sector and civically minded corporate community, to increase both the rate and impact of volunteer service,” said Catie C. Wolfgang, Chief Service Officer and Director of the Mayor’s Office of Civic Engagement and Volunteer Service. “Most of all, it is a testimony to the willingness of every day citizens to roll up their sleeves and get to work on the challenges we face as a city.”

Concurrent with the release of the progress report, Mayor Nutter issued Executive Order 05-13 that establishes the Mayor’s Office of Civic Engagement and Volunteer Service as the hub for impact volunteering and National Service resources in City government. With this order, Mayor Nutter affirmed the City’s commitment to impact volunteering by ensuring the sustainability of an office dedicated to coordinating resources and working collaboratively across City departments to support citizen service.

http://volunteer.phila.gov/serviceplan