Sudden end to AmeriCorps NCCC program leaves Philadelphia native in limbo
After graduating from high school, Philadelphia native Mary Kate Sweeney wasn't sure what her future held. But one thing was clear: she was ready to give back.
"I just wasn't really sure what I wanted to do with my life," said Sweeney, who decided to take a gap year before enrolling at Temple University next fall.
That year led her to the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC), a nearly year-long residential program that places young adults aged 18-26 on service projects across the country, from disaster relief efforts to environmental conservation.
"Serving Americans, that was the mission of the program," Sweeney said.
Sweeney had just completed several projects and was preparing to head to Oklahoma and Arkansas with her team. Then, everything changed.
"They just kind of stood up there and were like the program is cut, you're all flying out tonight," she said. "It was very sudden, very chaotic."
The termination of the NCCC program comes amid sweeping federal budget cuts enacted by the Trump administration and Elon Musk's DOGE team.
"I just think that we need to come together as a community and work to help each other," Sweeney said. "I just think that's really important in these times, especially when they're cutting service programs like AmeriCorps."
For Sweeney and many others, the abrupt end of the program has left not just emotional fallout, but financial uncertainty as well. Participants who complete their 1,700 hours of service are eligible for over $7,000 in education funding — but now, it's unclear whether that money will come through.
"The education award that we were supposed to get, it's kind of an unknown if we will get it," she said. "I know a lot of people were very much relying on it to pay for their education."
AmeriCorps has not responded to requests for comment.
As Sweeney looks ahead to her first semester at Temple, she remains committed to the ideals of service even if the program that shaped her journey has come to an end.
"AmeriCorps NCCC, the heart was service," she said. "Everybody can volunteer and make a difference in their community."
