The Massachusetts Service Alliance (MSA) played host last Thursday to the Annual AmeriCorps Opening Day. The yearly occasion was held at Roxbury's Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center.

The event featured over 2,000 AmeriCorps members across the state, including individuals serving with Social Capital Inc. in cities such as Dorchester, Lynn, and Woburn. The AmeriCorps members were privy to a special treat in the form of guest speaker, Governor Deval Patrick (pictured above with this year's AmeriCorps team).

Patrick made mention of his days in the PeaceCorps serving in Sudan and encouraged members to be excited for "the long and exciting journey" that lies ahead. After the conclusion of the Governor's speech, the MSA provided its AmeriCorps members with tours of the Massachusetts State House and the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse.

The MSA, established in 1991, is a private, nonprofit organization that serves as the state commission on community service and volunteerism. Its mission is to catalyze the innovation and growth of service and volunteerism by creating partnerships that maximize resources, expertise, capacity, and impact.

The MSA is responsible for the AmeriCorps members serving through Social Capital Inc in Dorchester. AmeriCorps members serve a total of 1700 hours within their community. To learn more about how you can become an AmeriCorps member, please click here. To learn more about the Massachusetts Service Alliance, please click here.