[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 83 (Thursday, June 20, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1116]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          NATIONAL SERVICE DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN B. LARSON

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 20, 2002

  Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition 
of National Service Day, celebrated every year on June 20, but more 
important to Americans this year than ever before.
  Following the events of September 11, I, like many Americans, felt 
the need to respond not only with my checkbook but also with my 
actions. Indeed, many of us felt a yearning to find meaning in those 
tragic events by actively participating in our nation's healing 
process; and we came together in a way that many of us had not seen in 
generations.
  Long before that horrifying day, President John F. Kennedy captured 
what so many of us felt in the wake of our national disaster. He 
pointed to the need Americans have always had to participate in 
spreading America's values of freedom, justice and opportunity around 
the world. ``We have, in this country,'' he said, ``an immense 
reservoir of men and women anxious to sacrifice their energies and time 
and toil to the cause of world peace and human progress . . . knowing 
that he or she is sharing in the great common task of bringing to man 
that decent way of life which is the foundation of freedom and a 
condition of peace.'' Americans since September 11 have indeed 
responded to that calling and contributed their share in our nation's, 
and the world's, rejuvenation.
  Yet they have learned what many Americans have known all along: that 
service benefits not only the recipient of the deed, but the giver as 
well, in ways far less tangible, but perhaps even more meaningful. 
Service has always been an answer to man's quest for purpose and 
meaning in life, elevating him, bringing him closer to people from 
different backgrounds and teaching him that the world can be improved 
even through the small acts of individuals. Thus, when President John 
F. Kennedy asked Americans not to be dependent on our country, but 
rather to do for our country, we understood what he meant because we 
knew the value of national service. Our appreciation of its enriching 
nature ensured our overwhelming response to his call.
  AmeriCorps is perhaps the most celebrated example of the drive 
Americans have always had to lend a hand to those in need. Since it was 
initiated by President Clinton in 1993, more than 250,000 men and women 
have served in AmeriCorps, providing needed assistance to millions of 
Americans, particularly in tutoring programs. The Corporation for 
Public Management, an independent evaluator, found that students 
tutored by AmeriCorps members completed their homework 67 percent more 
often, and 75 percent of those students improved the quality of their 
homework as well. In my district, in the last year alone, AmeriCorps 
provided in-school and after-school tutoring to 250 children in five 
elementary schools in order to improve children's language arts 
performance. The Corps members in my district also tutored 300 
disadvantaged students and parents at homework centers and engaged 
youth in service-learning projects. AmeriCorps, however, is just one of 
many organizations in my district that I look to as inspiring examples 
of community service.
  The Connecticut Commission on National and Community Service is 
another shining example, dedicated to incorporating volunteerism into a 
positive personal experience to strengthen communities. Based in 
Hartford, the Commission envisions a Connecticut in which every citizen 
embraces the ethic of community service. Through a multitude of service 
opportunities, individuals will understand the social needs of their 
communities and will embark on fulfilling their most American of 
wishes--to help others. By recognizing this opportunity to serve, 
barriers that have hindered a sense of community will be lifted, and 
citizens across age, ethnic, racial, and economic strata will come 
together around a common good.
  It is therefore incumbent on us here in Congress to do all we can to 
encourage service in this time when so many Americans are yearning for 
ways to do their share and find scraps of meaning in the rubble of 
September 11. Now, more than ever, we can expose young people to the 
uplifting value of serving their community and their nation.
  Therefore, I join supporters of national service across the country 
by calling on my colleagues and on President Bush to expand American's 
national service programs, such as AmeriCorps. Congressmen Ford and 
Osborne introduced the ``Call to Service Act'' which seeks to quintuple 
AmeriCorps service openings to 250,000, expand senior service, create a 
``citizen soldier'' for short term military enlistments, and increase 
the involvement of college work study participants in community 
service. We must act to pass that legislation and its companion in the 
Senate in order to ensure that the opportunity to participate in 
service be available to all Americans. Similarly, the Senate Armed 
Services Committee has reported legislation creating a citizen soldier 
option. We must take up these pieces of legislation and move forward so 
that national service can become not just a special chance for a few 
but a way of life for all Americans.
  At a time when Americans from all walks of life are asking what they 
can do to help make our nation safer, stronger and better, national 
service offers an answer that points us towards a higher politics of 
individual and national purpose.

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