On May 8, 2010, AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps alumni in the greater Lansing area joined together to host “Step Up Lansing: Get Things Done for Our Community”, an event designed to promote national service and challenge Lansing residents to volunteer during the 2010 AmeriCorps Week.

Lansing area AmeriCorps members recognized AmeriCorps Week as a perfect opportunity to help residents get involved with their community, spread the word about national service and share the importance of giving back. On May 8th, “Step Up Lansing” offered residents the chance to participate in a number of different community service projects at various service sites throughout the greater Lansing area. Each service site focused on different type of project – beautification, restoration, awareness, conservation, and clean-up. Service sites ranged in focus and skill level in an effort to accommodate the diversity of participating volunteers. For “Step Up Lansing 2010” there were 8 service sites, with 35 volunteers who came out.

This year, the “Step Up Lansing” campaign has joined forces with Adopt-A-River and Adopt-Your-Place to bring Lansing residents "Step Up Greater Lansing", a day of service within our community to give back and show Lansing some love.

This partnership brings six community partners [Michigan’s AmeriCorps, Lansing Board of Water and Light, Impression 5, Leap Inc., Greater Lansing Michigan Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Mid-Michigan Environmental Action Council] together, each with their own area of specialties.

There are currently 14 service sites available for volunteers to choose from that are centered on conservation, beautification, restoration, awareness, clean-up, and accessibility. Again this year service sites range in skill level and focus to accommodate greater Lansing’s diverse population. It is estimated that 700-1,500 greater Lansing area residents will ‘step up’ and volunteer.