Written by: Karyme Bravo 🇸🇻🇲🇽
Gov. Wes Moore attended the Sept. 11 Day of Service and Remembrance event giving a speech on expressing the power and importance of service and acknowledging its contributions. (Karyme Bravo)
Gov. Wes Moore launched a second Maryland Climate Corps program and the second year of the Service Year Option Cohort on Sept.11, at the University of Maryland’s Reckord Armory.
The Maryland Climate Corp is a service that offers a variety of opportunities for high school graduates to get involved in climate-related jobs as a way of giving back to the community.
Additionally, it prioritizes implementation strategies to help promote environmental justice, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving the communities' resilience to climate disasters.
“Maryland Climate Corps is going to make sure that this becomes a cleaner and greener state,” said Moore. “We are going to make sure that future generations will inherit something even more beautiful.”
The event was held on the Sept. 11 National Day of Service with nearly 1,000 participants, including AmeriCorps members, veterans, business leaders, and the next Maryland Core Service class, to honor those who have served.
Moore emphasized the importance of shared hope and collective effort in achieving community and personal innovations through service. The importance of finding purpose and fulfillment through service is a reminder that no solution is complete without involvement.
One month after being elected in January 2023, Moore proposed the Maryland Service Year Option program for young adults aged 18–21 years old. Participants in the program earned a minimum of $15 an hour for their service and a $6,000 completion award.
“Whether it's making sure that our communities are safe, each and every one of you are on your journey,” said Moore. I want to thank you for understanding how this program, this platform, this cohort, these leaders, can be the ones who can help you to find that thing that makes your heartbeat a little bit faster.”
Daryll Pines, President of the University of Maryland, and Aruna Miller, Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, made an appearance to promote the program and reveal the power and importance of service.
“These service programs are ground-ready and a way to make sure each of you will reach your full potential,” said Pines.
Miller also emphasized the importance of continuing service for current participants, noting that the inherent nature of service has a larger purpose beyond an individual’s interest.
“The most powerful thing about service is that it cannot be done in isolation because at its core, service has got something bigger than ourselves,” said Miller. “Each of you will carry that forward.”
Additionally, Moore discussed the program’s future initiatives, empowering communities to become a part of change for the future of different neighborhoods. These initiatives will help Maryland become cleaner and greener with the help of future generations.
“You are changing our state for the better,” Moore said. “You are changing our world for the better because you chose to put in the work.”
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