About
The Maine Commission for Community Service builds capacity and sustainability in Maine's volunteer sector by funding service programs, developing volunteer managers, raising awareness of the scope and impact of the sector, and encouraging an ethic of service.
The Commission was established in 1994 by Executive Order and under state statute in 1995. The 25 board members of the Commission are appointed by the governor to three-year terms and each represents a specific segment of Maine's volunteer sector.
The board is Maine government’s partner for the federal Corporation for National Service.
The Maine State Planning Office provides administrative support.
Its mission: Foster community service and volunteerism to meet human and environmental needs in the State of Maine.
Its vision: Vibrant, productive communities with involved, responsible citizens.
Its values: Service is a
- community building strategy -- harnessing the energy of a few to the benefit of many;
- problem-solving strategy -- complementing the effort and energy of full-time professionals with the vision and sense of mission of part- or full-time volunteers;
- cornerstone of the educational process; and
- state- and nation-building strategy -- cultivating a sense of civic identity and greater common purpose.
Its beliefs:
- Service is a fundamental building block of a civil society;
- Service cultivates a sense of personal and civic responsibility;
- Service is a strategy for solving a range of community problems;
- Service is an exemplary vehicle for delivering educational content and assessing learning -- and an educational aim in itself;
- Service varies in intensity from part-time volunteerism to full-time paid service;
- Service, when it is well-conceived and implemented, can be a cost-effective complement to the work of professionals;
- Service includes a range of activities performed by different people using different means;
- Service is a lifelong habit that can be most easily acquired early in life;
- Service works best when it is community-led and government-supported; and
- Service is a fundamental American tradition.
