The National Association of Service and Conservation Corps (NASCC) has launched a rebranding effort that includes a new name, logo and motto.
The name, The Corps Network, emerged from a fund development and marketing plan, said Vice President Martin O’Brien. He said the group’s board and stakeholders wanted “something a little bit sharper, a little bit shorter, but still inclusive of all the different types of organizations we work with, and that honored our tradition going back to the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s.”
The new name comes with a motto: “Strengthening America through service and conservation.”
NASCC began in 1985, when 24 corps directors joined forces to exchange information and advocate for themselves at the federal level. The organization says state and local corps programs annually engage more than 23,000 16- to 25-year-olds in community service, job training and educational activities. The association serves 113 corps in 41 states and Washington.
The new name was unveiled on Feb. 11, at the opening of the network’s annual membership meeting in Washington.
Later that week, the network and Voices for National Service recognized 10 people – mostly governors and members of Congress – who have worked to protect and expand national service opportunities for youth. More than 350 people attended.
Sen. Hilary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) drew a rousing welcome as she received the National Service Lifetime Leadership Award. Her potential rival for president in 2008, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), didn’t show for his Lifetime Leadership Award.
Also accepting awards in person were Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.) and Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Calif.).
