30 Years of Learning Together

Dear CS Community,

30 years ago today, Citizen Schools launched. It was MLK Day in 1995, and our founders chose this date, inspired by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s call for Americans to serve. 

Service remains at the core of Citizen Schools’ approach to empower schools, districts and communities to work together to create and sustain authentic experience-based learning opportunities for students. 

In our 30th year, we are excited to celebrate what thousands of volunteers, educators, staff and alumni have achieved together for generations of students. 

We are dedicated to strengthening our network of partners across the country, to meet the challenges ahead for schools and communities. Equity begins with opportunity, and we have the ability to provide the opportunities for experience-based learning and meaningful growth that our students deserve. 

In a time when students are feeling increasingly isolated and disconnected from their core academic subjects, we can provide collaboration and purpose through experience-based learning. 

When schools and teachers are struggling to find resources and new ways to engage students throughout the day and throughout the year, we can provide the human capital and expertise they need through facilitated volunteer engagement. 

It’s time to unite past generations of Citizen Schools and prepare the next generation. We’re ready to keep learning together, with your help. 

Over the next 12 months, we will be sharing stories about our impact and future direction, and offering ways to get involved. You can learn more on our 30th Anniversary webpage here. If you have volunteered, worked with our team, were a student or a parent, supported community partnerships, or are new to our mission and ready to join, we want to hear from you this year. Please stay tuned for more, and you can write to our team any time at externalengagement@citizenschools.org.

Thank you for being part of the Citizen Schools community, and thank you for joining us, in celebration and in service, in 2025. 

Learning Together,

Nadia Selby, CEO
Bing Howell, Chair
Eric Schwarz, Founder
Ned Rimer, Founder