On MLK Day of Service, Gov. Newsom Highlights Investments in Service and Volunteering

SACRAMENTO – On Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a national day of service, Gov. Gavin Newsom encouraged all Californians to honor the civil rights leader by taking part in a volunteer opportunity to improve their community. 

As part of the California Blueprint, Gov. Newsom has proposed additional investments in California’s service and volunteer programs. The Blueprint includes:  

Expanding Foster Grandparent and Senior Companion Volunteering Programs 

• Engage more older adults in volunteer service that benefits schools, families and communities across the state.
• Support the goals established by California’s 10-year Master Plan for Aging, and establish national models that demonstrate the power, value and success of older adult volunteerism.
• The Foster Grandparent Program will pair older adult volunteers with children of all ages for intergenerational mentoring, tutoring and connections.
• The Senior Companion Program will connect older adults to address social isolation, and create peer-to-peer support systems in independent living.

Building Neighbor-to-Neighbor Networks in California 

• Expand the state’s existing volunteer infrastructure and bolster the statewide Neighbor-to-Neighbor initiative to recruit, train, equip and organize neighbors to address community needs.
• Harness the community mobilization and connections resulting from the pandemic to build upon this organic service model to respond to crises like floods, fires and other rapid-response disasters and community needs.

Increased Ongoing Funding for the California Climate Action Corps 

• Permanently fund the country’s first statewide Climate Action Corps Program at its existing funding level of $4.7 million to help empower Californians to take meaningful action against the harshest impacts of climate change.
• Support the mission of empowering youth to engage in service that advances climate actions in their communities, cultivates change and leaves a lasting impact.
• This nation-leading program will continue to enable Californians throughout the state to engage in climate action, be it through service positions, volunteer opportunities or individual action.