In recognition of the 100th Birthday of the National Park Service, 100 SCA members nationwide led the effort to connect people to their national parks and public lands as SCA Community Volunteer Ambassadors (formerly known as Centennial Volunteer Ambassadors). Serving at national parks, monuments, and historic sites across 30 states, SCA’s Community Volunteer Ambassadors expanded park partnerships in local communities and engaged the next generation of parks volunteers.
Interns served with the Volunteers in Parks (VIP) program at national parks, historic sites, recreation areas, and parkways throughout the United States, with a focus on NPS sites in urban areas.
“The National Park Service’s Centennial celebration will focus as much on our future as on our past. We are excited that young people, including our Community Volunteer Ambassadors, are stepping up as the next generation of conservation leaders. I know this opportunity will enable them to form lasting connections to national parks and the natural world. I also know that their contagious passion will inspire many others to do the same.”
– National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis
The Community Volunteer Ambassador was a yearlong position designed to support parks around the country in expanding service and community engagement programs. The work included:
“To connect people to parks in the next century, the NPS must develop and nurture life-long connections between the public and parks – especially for young people”
– A Call to Action, 2013