Nicola O. Goren, an 11-year veteran of the Corporation for National and Community Service, will lead the agency through a transition that will include laying a foundation for the incoming Administration's service plans.

After five years leading the Corporation for National and Community Service, David Eisner steps down today, expressing pride in the momentum behind the service and volunteer sector, urgency about the need to harness civic power to tackle tough problems, and optimism over America's opportunity to engage more Americans in service.

It feels strange to be stepping down as CEO of the Corporation at this time in the national service movement - like jumping off a train just as it is picking up speed! As I leave, I want to share just how much the work you all do has meant to me, how grateful I am to have had the privilege to represent you, and how confident I am about the future for the agency and for national service and volunteering in America.

In an effort to help youth from disadvantaged backgrounds improve their chances for success in school and life, the Corporation for National and Community Service has awarded grants to three national organizations focused on engaging volunteers in promoting positive youth development.

On November 13, 2008, several hundred students and civic leaders attended a Georgetown University forum on 'From Dropouts to Downturns: Why Service is America's Solution.' The event featured Corporation for National and Community Service CEO David Eisner, Board Chair Stephen Goldsmith, CNN.com and 'Young People Who Rock' anchor Nicole Lapin, and members of AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and Learn and Serve America. Eisner and Goldsmith described an 'incredible moment' of need and opportunity for national service arising from the economic downturn that is putting more Americans at risk and the growing cross-sector momentum for engaging citizens in service to tackle tough problems.

The Corporation for National and Community Service today released a new report showing that community service in America's schools has reached a new peak, with 68 percent of all K-12 schools offering or recognizing service opportunities for their students.

As the economic downturn puts more Americans at risk, and as citizen service comes into the spotlight with the Presidential transition, the departing CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service will discuss the growing need and unprecedented opportunity for national service this Thursday at Georgetown University.

Liz McCartney, co-founder of a Louisiana nonprofit that relies on volunteers and AmeriCorps members to rebuild homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, has been selected as one of 10 finalists in the second annual 'CNN Heroes' program.

The Corporation for National and Community Service is offering a series of Webinars to help familiarize users with the expanded role of the "My MLK Day" project and volunteer management technology tool. Participation is free, but registration is required.

On October 21-24, 2008, Learn and Serve America will host its annual Grantee Training at the Sheraton Crystal City, in Arlington Virginia. We will offer pre-conference sessions throughout the day on October 21. The full group will convene on October 22 at 8:30 am for the opening plenary session and continue through 1:30 pm on Friday, October 24. All attendees are expected to attend the entire conference. If you cannot participate, please designate someone from your organization to attend in your absence. Every organization receiving Learn and Serve America grant funding must be represented.

From serving meals and cleaning rivers to tutoring and raising money for cancer research, students across the country will show how they make a difference through service-learning during the National Learn & Serve Challenge the week of October 6 through 12.

The Corporation for National and Community Service invites former AmeriCorps members to apply for the Eli Segal Fellowship, a year-long leadership opportunity to help advance national service policy, operations, and strategy from the Office of the CEO at the Corporation Headquarters.

The Corporation for National and Community Service today announced it will engage five leading universities to expand scholarly and policy research and deepen understanding about volunteering, national and community service, and civic engagement in America.

Aiming to tap the skyrocketing popularity of social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace to promote social good, the Corporation for National and Community Service today announced $2.3 million in grants to use social media to engage college students in service to meet community needs.

National service disaster responders swung into action to assist recovery efforts after Hurricane Ike's devastating romp through Texas late last week. With AmeriCorps members pre-positioned to deploy, response has been fast and effective.

I admit it - I'm overwhelmed. The power of the last 10 days has demonstrated that the momentum we've felt for months around service and volunteering has only intensified and is getting stronger. Think about just a few highlights from the last two weeks: the President addresses thousands of volunteer leaders on the White House South Lawn and renews his Call to Service; both Presidential nominees pledge support for national service and volunteering in a televised candidates forum; our pro-bono initiative, A Billion + Change, exceeds $400 million in corporate pledges; Senators Kennedy and Hatch introduce the ambitious Serve America legislation with bi-partisan co-sponsorship; the ServiceNation Summit in New York brings unprecedented numbers of national leaders and celebrities together in support of service; the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation exceeds one million recipients of the President's Volunteer Service Awards; the State of New York follows California in elevating its State Service Commission to Cabinet-level status - and at the same time AmeriCorps members and other national service programs and participants respond heroically to Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.

The Corporation for National and Community Service launched new radio public service announcements today at the National Association of Broadcasters' annual Radio Show in Austin to enlist Americans to 'fight poverty with passion' by joining VISTA, the AmeriCorps program that fights poverty.

Today, seven years since the September 11 attacks, Americans will remember the day with solemn memorials, prayers, and moments of silence.

On a sunny afternoon at the White House in front of thousands of volunteer and service leaders, President Bush today renewed the call he made in the wake of the 9/11 attacks for every American to give 4,000 hours or two years of their lives in service to others

Less than seven months after challenging corporate America to deliver $1 billion in pro bono volunteering support for nonprofits, Corporation for National and Community Service CEO David Eisner hailed $280 million in new pledges that pushed the campaign tally past $406 million, announced new research spotlighting the untapped potential for pro-bono volunteers, and unveiled a new campaign brand, A Billion + Change.