‘Service Will Save Us’
At On-Campus Volunteer Project, Governor Launches Second Cohort of Service Year Option, Maryland Corps
Some of the 600 Service Year Option cohort members assemble care packages for the Maryland Book Bank in Reckord Armory on Wednesday. Below, Gov. Wes Moore speaks at the event.
Photos by Stephanie S. Cordle
A sea of red-shirted volunteers created an upbeat assembly line in Reckord Armory on Wednesday. Accompanied by energetic pop music blasting from speakers, they stuffed paper bags with first aid kits, bookmarks and children’s books about firefighters, police officers and doctors. Once these care packages were complete, they boxed them up along with colorful stickers to be sent to Maryland Book Bank, a Baltimore-based organization promoting childhood literacy.
The project, led by the nonprofit Break a Difference, helped launch the second cohort of the Service Year Option and Maryland Corps programs, both administered through the Maryland Department of Service and Civic Innovation (DSCI) to expand volunteerism statewide. After a spirited welcome from the Mighty Sound of Maryland marching band, Gov. Wes Moore hailed the 600 cohort members at the September 11 Day of Service and Remembrance event, which also included AmeriCorps volunteers and members of the Maryland National Guard.
“This is a group that’s not just ready to put in the work—this is a group that is ready to change the world,” said Moore, who was joined by Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller, DSCI Deputy Secretary Sarah Flammang, UMD President Darryll J. Pines and more. “Today is not just a remembrance of the horrors of what happened 23 years ago. Today is also an acknowledgement of those who in response stepped up. … Never forget it is service that will save us.”
Service Year Option, the first program of its kind in the nation, presents Maryland high school graduates with opportunities to earn a living wage and gain new skills through a service placement in their interest area, including community health, education and public safety. Participants work with coaches to refine their post-service plans, whether they include college, a career or continued service.
This year, the program includes the new Maryland Climate Corps, part of the Biden administration’s American Climate Corps that offers service opportunities to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, build green infrastructure and protect communities from the impacts of climate change.
“When I learned about Gov. Moore’s idea for a year of service for high school graduates like me and all of us, it caught my mind on fire,” said Paul Cruz, a Maryland Climate Corps member. “I was excited by the prospect of being around driven people again, people who were motivated to confront the challenges facing our generation and improve themselves.”
Maryland Corps, a similar initiative for people of all ages, partners with Maryland’s historically Black colleges and universities and community colleges to provide service opportunities. Participants in both programs earn a minimum of $15 an hour for their service and receive a completion award of $6,000.
“I’ve been telling everyone on campus this semester that we must remember that Terps are supposed to support Terps—and that could just be equivalent to: Marylanders are supposed to support Marylanders,” Pines said. “These service programs are groundbreaking and a way to make sure each of you will reach your full potential while making your friends and family and neighbors fulfill theirs as well.”
Between both the Service Year Option and Maryland Corps pathways, this year’s members—more than double the number in last year’s inaugural launch—represent every jurisdiction in the state. DSCI partnered with more than 150 nonprofit and for-profit organizations, state and local governments and higher education institutions across the state to host participants.
“I’m really looking forward to gaining some professional, hands-on experience and doing something within Maryland and in my community,” said Travis*, a Service Year Option member and University of Maryland, Baltimore County grad who will be working with the Maryland 250 Commission to plan for America’s 250th anniversary in 2026. “(The program) is good to raise civic engagement and awareness.”
*Program organizers requested that Travis’ last name be withheld for his privacy.
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