Product Description
How ordinary citizens dedicated to service can change the face of America's most critical issues

What if the nation were able to capitalize on the energy of Americans willing to serve and volunteer for a year or more? This inspirational book tells the stories of real people who have dedicated themselves to service and the nonprofits that engaged them. It shows how selflessness and service have transformed lives and communities, and can address similar problems throughout the country. The author profiles successes, demonstrates measurable effects, and shows how impact is made. This book describes how we can achieve change, through action at both the community and organizational level.

• Filled with illustrative examples and key lessons
• Highlights programs such as Teach for America, City Year, and Community Health Corps
• Shows how nonprofits can create successful service programs to tackle different issues

The book shows what America would look like if programs like these operated at scale across the country not just in one or two neighborhoods, but wherever they were needed. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

A convincing, motivating, practical call to action
Society gives a smile and gentle pat on the head to the volunteer who reads a book to a child, clears trash from a park, or delivers meals to senior citizens. The nice guy or gal lending a helping hand through national service also gets a grateful thumbs up, though some scoff at the notion of being paid to do good.

But to Shirley Sagawa, service isn't nice; it's necessary. Strategically focused volunteering goes way beyond doing a good deed, she believes, and those performing national service are well worth the modest amounts we pay them to boost the impact of volunteers many times over and provide services that volunteers can't. Together, she argues in the book, they're a powerful force that can help solve challenges in childhood development, education, health, aging, poverty, natural disasters, the environment, and other critical areas.

Consistent with the policy acumen she put to good use in helping draft the legislation that created the Corporation for National and Community Service, Sagawa argues calmly but forcefully that we can't afford to neglect service in our arsenal of problem-solving strategies. Whether it's helping low-achieving kids do better in school, reducing recidivism among parolees, helping the unemployed secure stable employment, or reducing the risk of disease and infirmity among the elderly, service should be viewed as a cost-effective tool in our social toolkit, and we can either invest in the infrastructure needed to put it to good use now -- or pay a bigger price down the road. Whether you're a deficit hawk or a believer in "big" government, it seems like an easy choice to make.

You can read my full review of the book at[...]

Great Book!!
Sagawa's book about service is both inspiring and informative.In her short but thorough book, Sagawa teaches you about different service organizations and the lessons that can be learned by their successes, all the while maintaining an excitement about the spirit of service.Whether you are someone who is curious about how the non-profit sector can help solve problems that the government and private sector ignore, or if you're looking for a way to join the non-profit movement, reading this book will help you.I would not hesitate to recommend this book to any one.

informative and inspirational
I loved this book!I am familiar with the service movement, but the author brought it into such sharp relief.I learned a great deal, but more importantly, I was inspired by stories of individuals and effective programs.Sagawa makes a compelling case that service is a critical strategy for social change.Very inspiring!

Thumbs Up - Change America
Is there a problem in your community that you want to solve? Maybe there are too many teenagers with nothing to do this summer, or the garbage is not being picked up. This book is filled with concrete, well-researched examples of ordinary people who have started out solving a problem, and ended up transforming their entire community. This is an inspiring book, perfect for anyone who wishes to study how social change has taken place in our country.

A great look back to prepare us to look forward
Full disclosure first for this review, I am the National Director of the Community HealthCorps (one of the programs featured in this book). As a practioner in national service this is a helpful discussion on the history of national service from someone who has been there for most of it over the last 20 years. Sagawa also captures the essence of those programs that see service as a solution (not the only answer) to helping our nation move in the positive direction of curing problems. We were honored to be featured in this book amongst such a group of programs that are more well known. We will continue to be the best and strongest program that we are able to be, and hope to live up to the honor of growing to scale for impact. ... Read more