CITIES OF SERVICE AND ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION AWARD FIRST-EVER LEADERSHIP GRANT TO PHILADELPHIA ON MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY OF SERVICE

Chief Service Officer Will Lead Local Efforts to Develop and Implement a Comprehensive Plan to Increase VolunteerismrnrnPhiladelphia, January 18, 2010 – Mayor Michael A. Nutter announced today that Cities of Service and the Rockefeller Foundation has named the City of Philadelphia as a recipient of the first-ever Cities of Service Leadership grant. As one of the ten winning cities, Philadelphia will receive the $200,000 two-year grants, funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, to hire a Chief Service Officer, dedicated to developing and implementing a citywide plan to increase volunteerism. Mayor Nutter made the announcement at Girard College at the first of a series of MLK Day projects that he is participating in alongside tens of thousands of Philadelphia who are spending the day volunteering.rnrn“As tens of thousands of Philadelphians are hard at work at project sites across the city to celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., this grant is one more thing to celebrate and is a great boost for service and volunteer efforts in Philadelphia,” said Mayor Michael A. Nutter. “This funding allows us to implement a comprehensive civic engagement plan that will ensure volunteer efforts throughout Philadelphia are focused around our goals for a safer, greener, and better educated city. The grant is a tribute to what our city has already accomplished and we thank Cities of Service and the Rockefeller Foundation for this recognition and support.”rnrnCities of Service is a bipartisan coalition of mayors from across the country, representing more than 38 million Americans in 80 cities across the nation, dedicated to engaging more American in service and channeling volunteers towards each city’s most pressing challenges.rnrn“I can think of no better way to celebrate the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,” said New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, co-founder of Cities of Service. “His words – as eloquent as you will ever find – were about more than our highest aspirations. They were also a call to action. That is something that mayors know well. We are the ones who confront challenges, day in and day out, and we have quickly learned that service is an important tool that we can use to solve local problems. These grants will quickly allow mayors to expand their local service opportunities and deepen their impact.”rnrnThe Cities of Service Leadership grants will allow Philadelphia to hire a Chief Service Officer, a senior-ranking official who will develop and implement a citywide service plan to be submitted by September 10, 2010. To do so, the Chief Service Officer will convene a strategic committee of service experts and stakeholders, conduct an assessment of existing service levels, and identify collaborative partnerships to deepen the effects of local volunteerism. By December 1, 2010, recipient cities must submit a progress report tracking the results of the comprehensive service plan and launch a website that allows both volunteers to search for service opportunities and service organizations seeking to engage citizens.rnrnA selection committee – made up of the Rockefeller Foundation, national service experts, and city representatives – awarded the grants based upon the ability of the applicant to outline how they would: conduct an assessment of existing service levels; produce a coordinated citywide plan to increase service; engage local universities; and appoint a Chief Service Officer who would report directly to the mayor or another high-ranking official in the administration. Applications were limited to members of the coalition in cities that have more than 100,000 residents, according to the 2000 census, and have at least one community college or four-year public or private university. In total, 50 cities applied for a leadership grant.rnrnAbout Cities of ServicernrnFounded in New York City on September 10, 2009 with 17 initial member cities, Cities of Service is a bipartisan coalition of mayors who have answered the historic Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act’s call to action. Cities – often at the front lines of our nation’s most pressing challenges – are perfectly positioned to work together to engage millions more volunteers in service and develop strategies to increase the amount and impact of local service efforts. All coalition members have signed a “Declaration of Service,” committing to work together to lead a multi-year effort to expand community service and volunteerism by:rnrnDeveloping a comprehensive service plan and a coordinated strategy focused on matching volunteers and established community partners to the areas of greatest local need;rnWorking with other mayors and elected officials to advance strategies and best practices that accelerate the service movement and produce measurable results;rnEncouraging other mayors to join this national effort to engage our citizens; andrnEnsuring that the voice of cities is heard in federal legislative, policy, and program discussions related to service, which will help the country achieve the ambitious goals of the Serve America Act.rnrnThe coalition has rapidly grown since its inception in September and now has 80 Mayors, representing more than 38 million Americans in 80 cities across the nation. The coalition includes seven of the 10 largest cities in the country and 28 of the top 50.rnThe Cities of Service coalition includes the following cities: Akron, OH; Allentown, PA; Annapolis, MD; Arlington, TX; Atlanta, GA; Austin, TX; Baltimore, MD; Baton Rouge, LA; Birmingham, AL; Boston, MA; Bowling Green, KY; Brownsville, TX; Buffalo, NY; Catoosa, OK; Chandler, AZ; Charleston, SC; Chattanooga, TN; Chicago, IL; Chula Vista, CA; Cincinnati, OH; Corpus Christi, TX; Davis, CA; Denver, CO; Detroit, MI; Dublin, OH; Eugene, OR; Flint, MI; Fort Wayne, IN; Grand Rapids, MI; Harrisburg, PA; Hattiesburg, MS; Jackson, MS; Jacksonville, FL; Lancaster, CA; Lexington, KY; Los Angeles, CA; Meridian, MS; Mesa, AZ; Milwaukee, WI; Muskegon, MI; Nashville-Davidson, TN; New Bedford, MA; New York, NY; Newark, NJ; Oakland, CA; Omaha, NE; Palm Bay, FL; Panama City, FL; Pawtucket, RI; Philadelphia, PA; Phoenix, AZ; Pittsburgh, PA; Placerville, CA; Portland, OR; Providence, RI; Reading, PA; Riverside, CA; Roseville, CA; Sacramento, CA; Saint Paul, MN; Salt Lake City, UT; San Antonio, TX; San Francisco, CA; San José, CA; Santa Cruz, CA; Santa Fe, NM; Santa Rosa, CA; Savannah, GA; Seattle, WA; St. Louis, MO; Stockton, CA; Trenton, NJ; Tucson, AZ; Utica, NY; Ventura, CA; Vicksburg, MS; Virginia Beach, VA; Washington, DC; West Palm Beach, FL.rnrnMore information about the coalition can be found at www.citiesofservice.org.