Rosie K. Mauk to speak at UD’s New Student Convocation

3:00 p.m., Aug. 26, 2003--Rosie K. Mauk, a longtime champion of volunteer service at both the state and national levels and director of AmeriCorps since November 2001, will speak at UD’s New Student Convocation, scheduled at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, Sept. 2, at the Bob Carpenter Center. The event is free and open to the public.

AmeriCorps is the national service program that engages 50,000 Americans each year in intensive service to meet pressing community needs in education, the environment, public safety, homeland security and other human needs.

“AmeriCorps members represent the best of America,” Mauk said. “They are committed to giving back to their communities and to our country. By helping our neighbors and taking responsibility for others, we reaffirm what’s best about America. An active citizenry dedicated to community service is fundamental to our democracy. AmeriCorps offers service opportunities to thousands of Americans, and helps instill the virtues of service and citizenship.”

Before coming to Washington, Mauk served on the Texas Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service from 1995 to 2001, having twice been appointed by then-Gov. George Bush. She helped found and served as chair of the American Association of State Service Commissions and was president of Camp Fire USA’s National Board of Directors.

For the past 25 years, Mauk has been a strong advocate of community service and an active participant in many volunteer and charitable organizations. In Fort Worth, she served on the boards of United Way of Texas and the Preservation Society of Fort Worth and was president of the AIDS Outreach Center and a founding board member of the Volunteer Center of Tarrant County. Mauk spearheaded a fundraising drive for the YWCA of Tarrant County that raised over $5 million to build a new homeless childcare center.

She has won numerous awards, including the Governor’s Volunteer Leadership Award, Fort Worth Woman of the Year and a 1999 Daily Point of Light award.

Born in Toledo, Ohio, Mauk is a graduate of the University of Toledo.

AmeriCorps is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, which also oversees Senior Corps and Learn and Serve America. It is part of USA Freedom Corps, a White House initiative to foster a culture of citizenship, service and responsibility, and help all Americans answer the president’s call to service. Bush issued this call to service in his 2002 State of the Union address, asking all Americans to give at least two years of service over their lifetimes.

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