On Friday, Governor Rick Scott announced his appointments, including Mayor Ashton Hayward, to the Florida Commission on Community Service, otherwise known as Volunteer Florida.
Volunteer Florida is the lead agency for volunteerism and national service in Florida. The agency administers $31.7 million in federal, state, and local funding for national service and volunteer programs across the state. Volunteer Florida is guided by a bipartisan board of Commissioners, who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Florida Senate.
“I am truly honored about this appointment to the Volunteer Florida Board and to represent volunteerism. I have always been a big advocate for giving back and that’s what community service is about. When you step up and give back you have the opportunity to change the lives of many,” Hayward said.
Hayward fills a vacant seat for a term ending September 14, 2018.
About Volunteer Florida
Volunteer Florida administers national service programs like AmeriCorps, which offer Floridians the opportunity to engage in intensive service to their community while increasing capacity for nonprofits and other service organizations. Volunteer Florida’s grantees include schools, educational foundations, nonprofits, faith-based organizations, and other community organizations.
Volunteer Florida provides required fiscal and programmatic oversight of these grants so that funds are maximized and ensures grantees are accountable for results. Volunteer Florida also leads initiatives throughout Florida that use volunteerism as a strategy to meet needs. This includes leading Florida’s national days of service, such as the September 11 Day of Service and Remembrance and the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.