Annual Signature Events

AmeriCorps Cape Cod > What We Do > Annual Signature Events

2023 Cape Cod Canal Clean-Up

AmeriCorps Cape Cod and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (U.S. ACE) are celebrating Earth Day by hosting the 22nd Annual Cape Cod Canal Clean-Up on Saturday, April 22rd from 10 AM to 2 PM.

REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED FOR 2023 CAPE COD CANAL CLEAN-UP.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE, PLEASE WALK-UP TO THE REGISTRATION TABLE LOCATED AT THE HERRING RUN RECREATION AREA AT 810 SCENIC HIGHWAY IN BOURNE.

Since 2000, AmeriCorps Cape Cod and US ACE have partnered to engage and educate the community about the importance of keeping the Cape Cod Canal clean. The Cape Cod Canal is the widest sea-level canal in the world. Measuring at 480 feet wide and cutting through almost 7 miles of land, the Canal is what makes Cape Cod an island. It is maintained and operated by the U.S. ACE. The Cape Cod Canal offers a variety of recreational opportunities for both visitors and locals. Many enjoy walking, biking, and fishing along the Canal’s service roads and shores.

Join us as we work together to keep the Canal beautiful and safe for the future!

2023 AmeriCorps Week

AmeriCorps Week is an annual, nation-wide effort to give thanks to those who have chosen to serve with AmeriCorps and encourage others to give back to their own communities. This year, AmeriCorps Cape Cod members and staff are recognizing 2023 AmeriCorps Week with a variety of events based on our theme “Lessons from Nature.” Activities will include service projects to help revitalize outdoor educational spaces, a community gathering to honor those who serve, and an overall appreciation for the environment!

Here’s how we’ll be celebrating:

Saturday, March 11 – Look for our AmeriCorps inspired float at the Cape Cod St. Patrick’s Parade!

Monday, March 13 – ACC members will be revitalizing the Eastham Elementary Outdoor Classroom Area and creating a short trail for students to enjoy.

Wednesday, March 15 – The program will host an AmeriCorps Week Social for alumni, service partners and the Year 24 Corps!

Thursday, March 16 – The program will celebrate with the students from Eastham Elementary School at the Grand Re-Opening of the Eastham Outdoor Classroom Area.

Friday, March 17 – ACC members will assist our partners at Sustainable CAPE with improvements at the Truro Children’s Community Garden.

Make sure to follow us on our social media channels as showcase the power service on Cape Cod by highlighting both current Corps members and alumni. Don’t miss out on a week full of fun content between March 11^th through the 18th!

Facebook — AmeriCorps Cape Cod – Home | Facebook

Twitter — AmeriCorps Cape Cod (@AmeriCorpsCC) / Twitter

Instagram — AmeriCorps Cape Cod (@americorps_cape_cod) • Instagram photos and videos

LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/company/americorps-cape-cod

AmeriCorps Cape Cod would like to extend a special thank you to the Cape community and over 30 volunteers that participated in our 2023 MLK Day of Service!

Visitors had an amazing time learning about indoor container gardening, participated in a healthy cooking demonstration by Kim Concra, and listened to an inspiring speech by Climate Justice Organizer Bianca Bowman about Environmental justice. Over 250 clothing items and 100 food items were collected and distributed to local food pantries!

AmeriCorps Cape Cod is grateful for the Cape Cod 5 Charitable Foundation and Cape and Islands United Way for sponsoring this day of service. We would also like to extend our gratitude to the Hyannis Youth and Community Center, Hyannis Country Garden, the Cape Organization for the Rights of the Disabled, Family Pantry of Cape Cod, and the Cape Cod Seventh-Day Adventist Church Caribbean Food Pantry.

We are honored to keep Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy alive and to help keep Cape Cod sustainable!

#MLKDay2023 #unitedweserve #massservicealliance #americorps

Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service

In 1994, Congress designated the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday as a national day of service and charged AmeriCorps the Agency with leading this effort. Taking place each year on the third Monday in January, the MLK Day of Service is the only federal holiday observed as a national day of service — a “day on, not a day off.” The MLK Day of Service is a part of United We Serve, the President’s national call to service initiative. It calls for Americans from all walks of life to work together to provide solutions to our most pressing national problems. The MLK Day of Service empowers individuals, strengthens communities, bridges barriers, creates solutions to social problems, and moves us closer to Dr. King’s vision of a “Beloved Community.”

20+ Years of Our MLK Day of Service:

Year 4: ACC members and volunteers painted condominiums for the organization Living Independently Forever, Inc. (LIFE). This organization encourages and facilitates adults with learning disabilities to live independently.

Year 7: ACC gave a few bathrooms a fresh coat of paint at Champ Homes and the library inside of the Carriage House

Year 9: ACC members and volunteers gathered to make 14 quilts, which were later donated to Independence House, Champ Homes, Helping Our Women, A Baby Center, Falmouth Service Center, and Barnstable County.

Year 11: ACC and volunteers collected nearly 4,000 food items and were distributed to the Harwich Family Pantry.

Year 13: ACC and volunteers construct garden beds for a local farm!

National Volunteer Week

National Volunteer Week, a program of Points of Light, was established in 1974 and has grown exponentially each year, with thousands of volunteer projects and special events scheduled throughout the week across the nation. It’s about inspiring and encouraging people to seek out imaginative ways to engage in their communities, and demonstrating to the nation that by working together, we have the fortitude to meet our challenges and accomplish our goals.

Year 15: National Volunteer Week was “All Access Brewster”-Broader access points to the community and recreational sites across the town of Brewster were constructed by AmeriCorps members and local volunteers.

Year 17: National Volunteer Week was “Celebrating the Cape Cod National Seashore Centennial”- we partnered with the Cape Cod National Seashore, holding service projects to help prepare “Our Park” for their centennial celebration that summer.

Departments