[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 54 (Wednesday, April 13, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2408-S2409]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
VOLUNTARISM
Mr. COONS. Madam President, I rise to mark National Volunteer Week
and Delaware Volunteer Week. All week long throughout the Nation and
across the great State of Delaware, Americans and Delawareans will be
engaged in volunteer service. Volunteer opportunities include helping
the homeless, tending to the environment, mentoring children in
schools, and working to keep communities safer and stronger and free
from fires and accidents and injuries, among many others.
Here in the Senate one can't talk about community service or national
service or voluntarism without thanking and recognizing our colleague
Senator Barbara Mikulski from Delaware's neighboring State of Maryland.
Senator Mikulski has been the leader on voluntarism for many years,
most of them alongside the late Senator Ted Kennedy. I am proud to be
working with her to fight to save our national service programs.
When Delaware's tireless Governor Jack Markell was sworn into office
in 2009, he decided to forgo the traditional Governor's inaugural ball
and he, along with his wonderful wife, our first lady Carla Markell,
instead organized a week of service projects across the State. Today
that week of service continues and has become a tremendous opportunity
for nonprofit organizations and community service organizations across
the State to connect with Delawareans excited about teaching our
children the value of voluntarism, connecting with neighbors and
helping improve and strengthen our communities.
I have long believed that those who engage in voluntarism and service
to others in fact get more out of it than they put in.
Voluntarism, as you know, Madam President, is a fundamental part of
what it means to be American. It is a great--some would say the
greatest--part of America and its cultural traditions. However,
voluntarism need not be confined to my State or this week. It is
something from which every American can benefit at every stage in their
life.
In my view, one of the most effective voluntarism efforts in modern
history is one with which I was first engaged when I was a resident
briefly of the State of the Acting President pro tempore when I was
working for the national ``I Have a Dream'' Foundation in New York City
now many years ago.
[[Page S2409]]
The national AmeriCorps program--a partnership between the Federal
Government and local nonprofit communities--was launched with
bipartisan support, initially an idea proposed by President Bush and
then enacted by President Clinton. The AmeriCorps program is now one
which has had a tremendous and far-reaching impact over the last 17
years. It enables 75,000 Americans to serve annually via AmeriCorps
with a very wide range of programs--programs where the funding is
raised and its focus is directed by State, by State commissions of
volunteers, community leaders, who help identify the best and most
appropriate, most effective partners for this federally funded program
that is also matched one to one with dollars from the local community.
So far more than 60 million hours of community service annually has
been provided by AmeriCorps members.
In Delaware, voluntarism has a long tradition and a great history,
and the volunteer fire service is one of the strongest parts of that
long and proud history of our State. There are more than 88 volunteer
fire companies in our State. They provide the vast majority of fire
suppression services for our communities.
They faced a real problem when I became county executive: a steady
loss in membership. As working-class families were under more and more
pressure, with both parents working, they were under more stress, more
demands, and it became more difficult for people to dedicate the time
and energy needed to be trained and to serve as volunteer firefighters,
and, in particular, to deliver ambulance service--one of the most
important aspects of our volunteer fire service.
So in partnership with our New Castle County Volunteer Firefighters
Association, and with the YMCA, and with AmeriCorps, I worked
tirelessly to launch a new AmeriCorps program called the Emergency
Services Corps.
The Emergency Services Corps helps recruit volunteer firefighters and
conducts CPR and first aid training and provides fire awareness
training for schoolchildren all across our county. So far they have
recruited more than 220 volunteer firefighters and logged more than
108,000 hours of service to our community in the 5 years since it was
created as a partnership between all these different entities.
I just thought I would draw attention to that one example today of
the hundreds of AmeriCorps programs across our country that I think are
a shining example of how the young people of this country--people at
all ages across this country--bring their gifts, their talents, and
their spirit to volunteering.
In every generation of Americans, heeding the call to service has
been the answer to our greatest challenges, and with so many out of
work, suffering from hunger or facing homelessness right here in our
own country, I think it is critical we all pitch in to help. It is an
affirmation of our bond of citizenship and our compassion for our
fellow citizens.
So I would like to encourage everyone in my State to visit the
Volunteer Delaware Web site to find service opportunities this week. I
am putting a link to it on my Web site at www.coons.senate.gov. For
those who happen to be outside Delaware, I hope they will visit
www.nationalservice.gov and participate in this National Volunteer
Week.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. NELSON of Florida. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that
the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Mr. NELSON of Florida. Madam President, may I be recognized to speak
in morning business.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senate is in morning business.
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