Michael Brown addressed the committee not only as City Year’s founder and CEO, but as a champion of national service. Michael is an active leading member of three national coalitions—America Forward, ServiceNation, and Voices for National Service—that represent widespread support for the Serve America Act. In his remarks, Michael focused on the need to revitalize national service through innovative programs saying:

We need to expand opportunities for Americans to serve through these effective programs, and we also need a new platform to engage the American people in addressing some of the most pressing and persistent problems of our time. The Serve America Act, through a strategic expansion of national service, can play a vital role in expanding opportunities for people at every stage of life to serve and to put their idealism and civic skills to work to solve specific national challenges.

In addition to speaking out about the vital importance of the Serve America Act, Mr. Brown thanked the committee’s leadership, saying:

All of us at City Year and in national service organizations across the country are deeply grateful to Senator Kennedy and Senator Hatch for their visionary leadership in crafting a bold new platform for service in our country, the Serve America Act.

We want to echo Michael’s words of gratitude. Without the leadership of these two champions in the Senate, the Serve America Act, and the pathways to foster social innovation that it will create, would not exist. You can read a full transcript of Michael’s testimony here, and watch the hearing in its entirety here.