[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 133 (Tuesday, September 24, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11129-S11130]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  COMMUNITY SERVICE MAKES A DIFFERENCE

  Mr. NUNN. Mr. President, I am pleased to speak today regarding a 
recent collaboration between AmeriCorps

[[Page S11130]]

and Habitat for Humanity. Everyday on television and in newspapers we 
are reminded in some way of the problems of our Nation's distressed 
urban areas. I would like to draw the attention of my colleagues to one 
example of how community service is making a real difference in the 
area of affordable housing for hard-working families in cities across 
the country. On June 22, 1996, Habitat for Humanity sponsored the Home 
Stretch Build. Several hundred community volunteers and 75 Habitat 
AmeriCorps members from Americus and Savannah, GA; Miami, FL; 
Cleveland, OH and the District of Columbia built nine new homes in 
Southeast Washington, DC. That day Habitat for Humanity founder and 
president, Millard Fuller, said the following about the AmeriCorps 
Program:

       There are a bunch of good folks out here today, doing 
     something very, very worthwhile. I'm particularly pleased 
     with the AmeriCorps people here, over 75 of them, and I want 
     to salute you . . . for the outstanding work that you do. 
     This army of peaceful people, who are making good news happen 
     all over this Nation. Twenty-five thousand of them. And I 
     want you to know that we at Habitat for Humanity feel 
     privileged and honored to have the AmeriCorps people with us, 
     and we want more of them as time goes on. We love to be 
     partners with you in this work, and I salute all the 
     AmeriCorps people.

  Mr. President, this is another in the long list of examples of 
national service participants reaping the threefold benefit of national 
service--benefit to the community where the service is performed, 
benefit to the servers for serving their communities, and the benefit 
derived from the education of the servers in the future. I applaud the 
National Service Corporation for its ongoing efforts, and urge my 
colleagues to take note of the successes of these young people.
  I yield the floor.

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