[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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