As the nation celebrates AmeriCorps Week, local officials are thanking participants for their contributions to the region.
The tribute honors more than one million AmeriCorps members and alumni who have pledged to “get things done” in communities across the nation.
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown praised local AmeriCorps participants at a recruitment fair in CityHall Thursday. He delivered a brief address and chatted with members from various service organizations.
Oswaldo Mestre, who coordinates Buffalo’s involvement with AmeriCorps, praised more than 1,000 volunteers for their efforts
“Service knowns no age, no boundaries, whether it be young people, or our seasoned young people intergenerationally, you know what service looks like because you do it every day,” Mestre said. “The fact that you have again created this culture and forced this culture of giving is an important thing.
Mestre, who serves as Buffalo director of citizen services, said the recruitment fair successfully attracted potential volunteers. He noted that members perform a variety of important tasks that range from cleaning up litter to mentoring children.
“This is the investment. These are volunteers that are going into communities that are serving and so the whole AmeriCorps family The Corporation of National Service, is a national program and so we’re pleased that in Buffalo we have the premier organizations that are doing things in Buffalo.”
Mestre said volunteerism is what helps to make Buffalo the “City of Good Neighbors.”
“[You] can’t have that economic development, can’t have all of the things that are happening without making investment in people and I think we’re doing that in a great way,” said Mestre.
