City Stories

City Year
287 Columbus Ave.
Boston, MA 02116

Phone: 617.927.2500

Web: www.cityyear.org

Annual operating budget: Nearly $50 million

History (from www.cityyear.org): Twenty years ago, City Year was founded by Michael Brown and Alan Khazei, then-roommates at Harvard Law School, who felt strongly that young people in service could be a powerful resource for addressing our nation’s most pressing issues. Since 1988, City Year has been built on the belief that one person can make a difference, and with the vision that one day service will be a common expectation — and a real opportunity — for citizens all around the world. Since its founding in 1988, City Year has graduated more than 11,400 alumni, served more than a million children, completed more than 18 million hours of service and engaged more than a million citizens in service.

Purpose (from www.cityyear.org): City Year was founded in 1988 on the belief that young people can change the world. By giving corps members the skills and opportunities to serve in schools and neighborhoods across the country, City Year seeks to help children succeed, build stronger communities, break down social barriers, develop young leaders and foster active citizenship. City Year’s vision is that one day the most commonly asked question of a young person will be, “Where are you going to do your service year?”

Site headquarters (in order of founding):
Boston (1988); Rhode Island (1993); Chicago (1994); Columbia, S.C. (1994); Columbus, Ohio (1994); San Jose, Calif./Silicon Valley (1994); San Antonio (1995); Cleveland (1996); Greater Philadelphia (1997); Seattle/King County (1998); Detroit (1999); New Hampshire (2000); Washington, D.C. (2000); New York (2003); Little Rock, Ark./North Little Rock (2004); South Africa (2005); Louisiana (2006); Los Angeles (2007); Miami (2008)