Mayors of Super Bowl Cities Wager Volunteer Service

As part of 'Service Bowl,' winning mayor to host community service project with AmeriCorps members and local volunteers

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks prepare to face off in Sunday's Super Bowl, the mayors from the two cities have come up with a friendly wager that focuses on the importance of volunteering and community service.

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Mayor Ed Murray of Seattle and Mayor Michael Hancock of Denver agreed that the winning mayor would host the mayor from the opposing team for a day of volunteer service with AmeriCorps members. This service project will be carried out in partnership with the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency that administers AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, the Social Innovation Fund, and other programs.

"Mayors are leaders who get things done, responding every day to needs in their cities," said Wendy Spencer, CEO of CNCS. "With this friendly wager, Mayors Murray and Hancock highlight the impact and power of national service and volunteering. No matter which team wins the game, both cities—and all football fans— can celebrate the Service Bowl."

This is the second year of the Service Bowl bet. In 2013, San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee joined Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and more than 100 AmeriCorps members to transform a vacant lot into a community park in Baltimore, Md.

"AmeriCorps is a valued member of our community, and its commitment to service helps make us the city we are today. With this wager between Mayor Murray and I, we want to show that the traditional mayors' bet can be more than just putting items on the line. We're committing ourselves to improving our communities and improving our quality of life," said Mayor Hancock. 

"Our teams have shown that Seattle and Denver are national leaders in football. With this bet and in partnership with AmeriCorps, Mayor Hancock and I wanted to showcase our cities' leadership in service to our communities as well," said Mayor Murray.

Mayors Hancock and Murray join more than 800 U.S. Mayors in their focus on service. Both have signed on to participate in the second annual Mayors Day of Recognition for National Service. Mayors across the country will participate in a national day of recognition this April 1 to highlight the impact of national service in their cities and thank individuals who serve.

As the federal agency for service and volunteering, CNCS annually engages more than five million citizens in service at more than 70,000 sites across the country through AmeriCorps, Senior Corps and other programs. These national service participants meet critical community needs -- strengthening education, fostering economic opportunity, helping communities recover from disasters, supporting veterans and military families, providing health services, and preserving the environment.

The Seattle area ranks fourth among large cities for volunteering and service, and last year, 993,700 million volunteers served a total of 116.3 million hours, an economic value of $2.6 billion. This year, CNCS will invest more than $8.4 million in Seattle nonprofits, schools, and community groups through AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and the Social Innovation Fund, leveraging an additional $2 million in outside support to strengthen community impact. This funding will support more than 790 AmeriCorps members and 1,400 Senior Corps volunteers in Seattle.

In Denver, 610,500 volunteers gave a total of 71.9 million hours, an estimated value of $1.6 billion, making it 13^th in volunteering among major U.S. cities. The city receives $22.5 million in CNCS funding, which generates an additional $9.8 million in other resources. This combined investment will support more than 2,000 AmeriCorps members and 900 Senior Corps volunteers serving in the area.

Americans looking to participate in their own Super Service Day can find a volunteer service project in their area using the search engine at www.serve.gov.

The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through its AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, Social Innovation Fund, and other programs, and leads President's national call to service initiative, United We Serve. For more information, visit NationalService.gov.

SOURCE Corporation for National and Community Service