Statement From City Year CEO & Co-Founder On Senator Harris Wofford, Recipient Of Presidential Citizens Medal

BOSTON, Feb. 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Michael Brown, CEO and Co-Founder of City Year, a national, education-focused organization that deploys diverse teams of young people to serve a year in high-need schools, issued this statement today congratulating former Senator Harris Wofford of Pennsylvania who received the Presidential Citizens Medal at a White House ceremony.

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"On behalf of the 2,500 City Year AmeriCorps members serving every day in America's schools, City Year's 17,000 alumni, our board, staff, and supporters, I congratulate Senator Harris Wofford on receiving the Presidential Citizens Medal from President Obama at the White House today.  This remarkable honor recognizes American citizens who have performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens.

"Senator Wofford has been the nation's leading advocate for the concept of voluntary national service, inspiring countless individuals to serve their country and community.  From his own military service in World War II, to his dedication to the civil rights movement, to his work under the Kennedy Administration helping to launch the Peace Corps, to his service as U.S. Senator and then CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), Senator Wofford is the epitome of an extraordinary citizen leader.  As Senator, he championed the formation of AmeriCorps, which today has more than three quarters of a million alumni.  And as head of CNCS he helped enable Americans to make a difference to their country through meaningful civilian service.

"We are a much stronger country thanks to Senator Wofford, who is a role model and an inspiration to all of us who serve and volunteer.  On a personal note, Senator Wofford was a tremendous inspiration to us during the founding of City Year and continues to this day to be a treasured mentor and invaluable role model to us and many, many others.

"City Year congratulates Senator Wofford and all of the recipients of this national honor, an esteemed group of leaders who have dramatically improved our country and inspired us all."

About City Year: City Year is an education-focused, nonprofit organization founded in 1988 that partners with public schools to provide full-time targeted intervention for students most at risk of dropping out.  In more than 20 communities across the United States and through two international affiliates, our teams of young AmeriCorps leaders support students by focusing on attendance, behavior, and course performance through in-class tutoring, mentoring, and after school programs that keep kids in school and on track to graduate.

SOURCE City Year