Who We Are

The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) was established by Congress requiring all states to have a State Commission for national and community service.

The Nebraska Commission for National and Community Service was established through Executive Order #94-5 signed by Governor E. Benjamin Nelson.

The Commission created the Volunteer and Community Service Foundation of Nebraska which was incorporated as an independent not-for-profit charitable Nebraska foundation.

The Commission changed its name to the Nebraska Volunteer Service Commission.

With the help of the Honorary Chair, First Lady Sally Ganem, the Commission hosted the first annual First Lady's Awards for Volunteerism which would celebrate volunteers across Nebraska each year until 2014.

The Commission began receiving General Funds from the State of Nebraska.

A memorandum of Agreement was signed between the Commission and the Department of Health and Human Services to formally provide an array of support service to the Commission.

The Nebraska Volunteer Service Commission introduced its new brand name, ServeNebraska, and launched a redesigned website.

The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act was signed by President Obama which positioned AmeriCorps to triple in size.

ServeNebraska launched its first ServeNebraska Week in April, encouraging all Nebraskans to give back to their community by volunteering.

ServeNebraska hosted the first Step Forward Awards in partnership with the Governor’s office. The Step Forward Awards is still held annually and is the most prestigious recognition for volunteerism in Nebraska.

ServeNebraska participated in Nebraska’s 150th Birthday celebration by partnering with the 150th celebration commissions and boards to encourage volunteer participation in community activities.

AmeriCorps members visited the Nebraska State Capitol for the first AmeriCorps Legislative Day to tell representatives about their service experience.

ServeNebraska and AmeriCorps celebrated 25 years of service.

Catastrophic flooding plunged many Nebraska communities into disaster. ServeNebraska coordinated with Nebraska Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters to bring AmeriCorps NCCC, A-DRT and FEMA Corps teams to the state to help where they were needed most.

ServeNebraska recognized Former Governor Ben Nelson with the first Jamesena Moore Service Award at the fifth annual Step Forward Awards for enacting the executive order that created the Commission.

ServeNebraska successfully assisted Senator Vargas in passing LB477 in the Nebraska Legislature to eliminate the state income tax on the Eli Segal AmeriCorps Education Award.

The Step Forward Awards were presented from a virtual platform because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Senator Tony Vargas was presented the Jamesena Moore Service Award for his work championing LB477 into law.

Senator Tony Vargas was recognized by the Americas Service Commissions and received the State Leadership Award.

Senator Tony Vargas introduced LB197, a bill that provided in-state tuition in Nebraska to all AmeriCorps members who have successfully completed a term of service. The bill passed and was signed by the Governor in April.

The Jamesena Moore Service Award was presented to Former First Lady Sally Ganem in recognition of her longtime support of ServeNebraska and AmeriCorps.

The ServeNebraska Commission worked with Senator McDonnell to introduce legislation to restructure the ServeNebraska Commission as a statutory agency and entered a contract with Catalyst Nebraska to prepare a strategy for the 2023 legislative session.

ServeNebraska presented the Jamesena Moore Service Award to Congressman Don Bacon for his involvement in the National Service Congressional Caucus and the For Country Caucus.

Congressman Bacon received the Friends of National Service Award from Voices for National Service for his outstanding commitment to national service and being a vocal champion for AmeriCorps as a strategy to address pressing local challenges.

ServeNebraska entered a contract with Parlay Consulting to design and implement a modified needs assessment within pre-identified small to medium sized Nebraska towns to gauge community needs, the AmeriCorps and volunteer capacity within those towns to respond to needs and identify opportunities for ServeNebraska to expand its influence and work across the state.

Senator McDonnell introduced LB111 to establish ServeNebraska as a statutory agency. The bill passed unanimously (8-0) out of the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee.

ServeNebraska recognized Senator Mike McDonnell with the Jamesena Moore Service Award for his support of ServeNebraska and hard work championing legislation to restructure the Commission as a statutory agency.