Maine has embodied its state motto, Dirigo: I lead, by leading the country in creating new opportunities for Mainers of all ages to serve and meet local and national challenges our communities are facing.

With the signing into law of L.D. 1974, Maine has allocated funding for programs that can fill gaps in Maine’s environmental protection infrastructure. I, along with Volunteer Maine and supporters from across the state, worked hard during the 130th Legislature to pass two new service programs: the Maine Service Fellows, a state-based rural service corps, and the Maine Climate Corps. Both programs passed with bipartisan support in their committees and received unanimous support in both the House and the Senate.

Support of national service programs like MSF and MCC is and should remain bipartisan. I hope to build on this work during a second term, and I plan to focus my career on advocating for and helping to create a universal national service program that reflects our nation’s needs for the 21st century. Responding to the effects of climate-related disasters and future public health crises will require mass mobilization.

Service can also be used as a way to address more existential issues such as isolation, something many Americans of all backgrounds and ages feel. Service can help Americans who are searching for a sense of higher purpose in our currently polarized society, an issue we will be addressing for years to come. Both programs will help address this crisis of belonging while bolstering our communities and engaging our youth, providing them with new job skills and the opportunity to serve.

The Maine Climate Corps will play a crucial role in helping us meet our climate mitigation goals and assist communities in climate resiliency efforts. The corps is inspired by the New Deal’s Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) but is specifically designed for today’s needs in addressing the climate crisis and is rooted in equity, justice, accessibility and good science. From energy and education to transportation and community resilience, the corps covers a wide variety of sectors to help tackle the issue of the climate crisis systemically.

Maine Service Fellows is a state-based service program aimed at addressing gaps in service programming in rural and underserved communities, including workforce development and public health issues. The fellows will assist our communities, not only as they continue to navigate the effects of the pandemic, but with a wide range of issues, from rural housing to substance use prevention and recovery.

While we’ve made important strides in expanding service programming here at the state level, we need federal funding support to help expand Maine’s service programming. Maine’s congressional delegation has had a history of supporting bipartisan initiatives to support national service. Sens. Angus King and Susan Collins are both co-sponsors of the bipartisan CORPS Act legislation. I urge our congressional delegation, especially Sens. King and Collins, to push for and support legislation and initiatives that will invest in the climate corps and expand national service programming here in Maine. I also urge our congressional delegation to put forward legislation that will allow AmeriCorps to provide funding to state-based service programming like Maine Service Fellows, which currently isn’t permitted because of federal red tape. If you would like to see a fully-funded Maine Climate Corps and investments into rural service programming, join me in calling on our congressional delegation to support Maine’s service programs. Together we can build a society rooted in serving our neighbors and the common good.

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