The Corps Network Honors U.S. Representative Ruben Hinojosa for his support of Youth Service and Conservation Corps in the Workforce Investment Act
Joined by staff from The Corps Network and Austin’s American Youthworks, Representative Hinojosa (TX) accepts his 2013 Congressional Champion Award.
For Immediate Release
2/21/13
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In recognition of his support of the Workforce Investment Act, Congressman Ruben Hinojosa of Texas’s 15th District was awarded one of The Corps Network’s highest honors, the Congressional Champion Award, at a ceremony in the Cannon House Office Building on Wednesday, February 13, 2013.
Every year, The Corps Network presents the Congressional Champion Award to elected officials whose work promotes and encourages the growth and sustainability of America’s youth service and conservation corps. The Corps Network chose to honor Representative Hinojosa with a 2013 Congressional Champion Award for his work on the Workforce Investment Act of 2012, and in particular, for including important programs and services for “disconnected” or “opportunity” youth. These measures will result in increased opportunities for Youth Service and Conservation Corps.
Congressman Rubén Hinojosa (D-TX) was elected to Congress in 1996 and is currently serving his ninth term in the U.S. House of Representatives. Congressman Hinojosa is regarded as a champion for the disadvantaged and has distinguished himself as a strong advocate for education, housing and economic development. His primary goal in Congress has been to reduce the chronically high unemployment rate in his district. By focusing on developing a highly educated, well-trained workforce, modernizing the local infrastructure, and creating new job opportunities, Congressman Hinojosa has been instrumental in bringing unemployment rates from 22 percent in 1997 to record lows of 6 percent in 2008.
“We wish to thank Representative Hinojosa for his support of “Youth Corps-friendly” provisions the Workforce Investment Act,” said Mary Ellen Ardouny, President and CEO of The Corps Network. “It will help many young people gain valuable work experience and develop job skills while completing projects that improve their communities. This is a combination of positive outcomes that we can all appreciate.”
Congressman Hinojosa accepted his award at the February 13th Ceremony and spoke about his dedication to helping disadvantaged youth.
“It is a great honor to have been chosen by The Corps Network to receive this important award,” said U.S. Rep. Hinojosa. “Training young people for the workforce is one of the many important programs that reach thousands across this country. Corps provides a wealth of conservation, infrastructure improvement, and human services projects. I will work to reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act in the 113th Congress which among many other things will engage youth through multiple pathways to success.”
In addition to the recipients of the Congressional Champion Award, the February 13th ceremony also recognized The Corps Network’s 2013 Corpsmembers of the Year and 2013 Projects of the Year. The six Corpsmembers of the Year are young men and women who have proven to be leaders and role models in the corps movement, while the three Project of the Year recipients represented some of the most innovative programs at Corps throughout the country.
Service and conservation corps are comprehensive youth development programs that provide their participants with job training, academic programming, leadership skills, and additional support through a strategy of service that improves communities and the environment. Today’s corps are a direct descendant of the Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps, through which three million young men dramatically improved the nation’s public lands while receiving food, shelter, education, and a precious $30-a-month stipend.
About The Corps Network
The Corps Network is the voice of the nation’s 143 Service and Conservation Corps. Currently operating in 44 states and the District of Columbia, Corps annually enroll more than 29,000 young men and women in service every year. Corps mobilize approximately 226,000 community volunteers who in conjunction with Corpsmembers generate 21.3 million hours of service every year. For more information, visit corpsnetwork.org or contact Levi Novey at [email protected] or 202.737.6272.
Media Contact:
Levi Novey
The Corps Network
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Washington, DC 20005
Phone: 202.737.6272
Fax: 202.737.6277
Email: [email protected]