Mayor Slay knows firsthand the powerful role national service can play in improving lives and strengthening communities. He has been a vocal advocate for placing citizens at the center of solving challenges in St. Louis, and has fought to protect federal funding for national service programs. In July 2015, he accepted co-chairman responsibilities of the newly launched Missouri National Service Coalition that is helping to organize the national service community in Missouri. In honor of Mayor Slay’s steadfast commitment to national service, the Voices for National Service Steering Committee voted unanimously to present him with the 2016 Local Leadership Award.
“Mayor Francis Slay is serious about collaborating with his constituents and using national service as a catalyst to solve problems in St. Louis communities,” said AnnMaura Connolly, President, Voices for National Service. “Mayor Slay has been a strong advocate for national service, encouraging elected officials from across Missouri to invest in these cost-effective initiatives. He is a truly worthy recipient of the Voices for National Service’s Local Leadership Award.”
“It is an honor to accept this award, and I do so on behalf of all the residents in the City of St. Louis,” said Mayor Slay. “Thank you to the Missouri National Service Coalition, AmeriCorps, VISTA, and NCCC members. Together, you all have been a huge help and have made a big difference in the City of St. Louis. We are grateful for your service and for your assistance tackling tough issues, especially around vacancy and abandonment. We are also grateful for the work National Service members do to engage others in the community to volunteer their time for the good of our City.”
Past recipients of The Local Leadership Award include Mayors Greg Ballard of Indianapolis, Indiana, Michael Bloomberg of New York City, New York, Chris Coleman of St. Paul, Minnesota, Karl Dean of Nashville, Tennessee, Buddy Dyer of Orlando, Florida, Mitch Landrieu of New Orleans, Louisiana, Michael Nutter of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Mark Stodola of Little Rock, Arkansas. Mayor Slay joins these distinguished leaders in government from across the nation for their efforts to advocate for national service programs – such as AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, VISTA, and the Social Innovation Fund – as well as for national service funding.
Honorees were selected based on recognition and support for national service as a solution to some of the nation’s most pressing challenges. Each award winner has helped to raise public awareness of national service and elevate national service as a legislative priority.
National service is a cost-effective strategy for engaging citizens, improving communities, and strengthening the nation. In communities across the country, national service members provide critical services to fulfill unmet needs. National service members tutor and mentor struggling students, help Americans lead healthier lives, provide job training and other services to returning veterans, preserve the nation’s parks and public lands, offer disaster relief and recovery assistance, and support independent living for seniors and Americans with disabilities. For every federal dollar invested in national service, there are returns to society of nearly four dollars in terms of higher earnings, increased output, and other community-wide benefits.
State Service Commissions, such as the Missouri Community Service Commission, are vital links in the chain that translates national service dollars and initiatives into local results.
In addition to Mayor Slay, this year Voices for National Service also honored Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Michael Bennett (D-CO), Governor Terry McAuliffe (D-VA) and First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe, Mayor Sly James of Kansas City, CSX Corporation Chairman Michael Ward, and Washington Post columnist E. J. Dionne.
In 2014, the Corporation for National Community Service ranked St. Louis as the 14th best large metros for volunteerism, with the Kansas City metro area taking the number eight spot.
