Gabby Ryan, Community Programs Coordinator, Office of Neighborhood Services, No Phone Number Available
Friday, April 10, 2026 at 11:25 a.m.
This week, in conjunction with Spokane Gives 2026, Mayor Lisa Brown will be recognizing local AmeriCorps for the Mayors Day of Recognition of National Service. AmeriCorps members all over the country spend their time giving back to communities, leaving a lasting positive change in those communities in which they serve. The City of Spokane is grateful to all AmeriCorps members who have served in Spokane. The impact your service has on this city is immeasurable and continues to be seen and felt in positive ways.
A letter of gratitude to Spokane and for AmeriCorps members:
Thirteen years ago, I was accepted for an AmeriCorps position that was everything I wanted in a volunteer role – the chance to build a volunteer program for college students to have a lasting impact through community service. I – state/city unseen – packed my whole life up and moved 3,200 miles away from Florida to Spokane. I never could have anticipated the impact that my time spent as an AmeriCorps in Spokane would have on my life. This is a letter of gratitude to this city, my fellow AmeriCorps (past/present/future), and to all those who I’ve been able to serve alongside.
AmeriCorps members are often brought in to build and sustain programs that benefit a community or demographic in need, while serving alongside other community leaders. I had the honor of serving at Eastern Washington University, where I was trusted to build a volunteer program for EWU students (Eagle Volunteers). It was during my two service terms that I learned the importance of volunteerism, the importance of creating partnerships built on reciprocity, and what it means to show up alongside a community to address challenges.
In Spokane, AmeriCorps members serve in our K-12 schools, in our natural spaces doing preservation work, at our colleges and universities, with veterans, and at various nonprofits. It is an honor to be trusted by a community enough to be welcomed into spaces where positive change is thought out and brought to fruition. It is a privilege to see the way that Spokane shows up for one another, the way that folks unite to give back and meet critical community needs. Our city is a better place because of the work that AmeriCorps shows up to do every year, and many AmeriCorps members choose to stay in Spokane to continue investing in the community long after their service terms have ended. None of this would be possible if not for the belief that the community has in what AmeriCorps can accomplish.
Spokane, thank you for the trust you put into AmeriCorps members to make a difference alongside of you all.
AmeriCorps members, thank you for the commitment you have made to making Spokane a wonderful place to live.
In Spokane
We All Belong
