About Us
CaliforniaVolunteers
The mission of CaliforniaVolunteers is to increase the number and impact of Californians engaged in service and volunteerism.
CaliforniaVolunteers administers the AmeriCorps portfolio in California, Citizen Corps, and the Cesar Chavez Day of Service and Learning, developed and maintains the California Volunteer Matching Network on CaliforniaVolunteers.org and guides policy development to support the nonprofit and service fields.
2007 CaliforniaVolunteers State Service Plan
First Lady Maria Shriver, Honorary Chair
"I have always believed that one of California’s greatest resources is the diversity of people who call the Golden State home. No matter your age, no matter what country or state you were born in, if you live here, you’re a Californian.
I am asking all Californians to strengthen our great state by connecting with their families, their neighbors, and their communities through service. Serving others is as easy as dishing out food in a kitchen line, donating blood, planting a school garden, reading to a child, or educating families about important programs that can empower their lives and help break cycles of poverty. By sharing the resource of your time, you can empower other Californians through service, and get connected to the state’s wealth of diverse communities and people."
CaliforniaVolunteers Commission
CaliforniaVolunteers is overseen by a 25-member Commission appointed by the Governor.
To access Commission meeting agendas, please click here.
To meet the Commissioners, click here.
CaliforniaVolunteers Staff
Karen Baker was appointed by Governor Schwarzenegger to serve as the Secretary of Service and Volunteering. Karen brings to the agency 20 years of innovative leadership in all facets of the service and volunteerism sector, including local and national nonprofits and federal agencies.
Prior to her arrival at CaliforniaVolunteers in January 2006, Karen served as the managing partner for Valley Vision, a Sacramento-based “action tank” that addresses regional economic, environmental and social issues. She also served as the director of innovation at Share Our Strength, a national anti-hunger nonprofit located in Washington, D.C. Karen served as director for program coordination and special projects for the Corporation for National Service, and was appointed by President Clinton as the deputy director for AmeriCorps*VISTA. Before serving in Washington D.C., Karen was the executive director of Chrysalis, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping economically disadvantaged and homeless individuals become self-sufficient through employment opportunities.
Karen holds her bachelor of arts in Sociology from the University of California at Los Angeles. After graduating from college, she served one year with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps where she worked with at-risk youth in Seattle.
Meet Karen and the rest of the staff at CaliforniaVolunteers.
CaliforniaVolunteers History
On September 21, 1993 President Clinton signed the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993 (PL 103-82). This law merged two federal agencies, ACTION and the Commission on National and Community Service, creating the new Corporation for National Service. The Act also established AmeriCorps, a service program for Americans ages seventeen years and older.
The Act required the governor of each state to create and appoint a commission to administer the AmeriCorps program. In 1994, Governor Pete Wilson created the California State Commission originally known as the Commission on Improving Life Through Service through Executive Order W-77-94. Since the commission's inception, the first lady of California has served as the honorary chair of the commission.
The organization was renamed by Governor Gray Davis as the Governor's Office On Service and Volunteerism (GO SERV) in 2001.
In August 2004, the organization was renamed the California Service Corps.
In December 2006, Governor Schwarzenegger signed Executive Order S-24-06, renaming the organization CaliforniaVolunteers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have a question about AmeriCorps or other National Service Programs?
View our FAQ's or add one of your own.