[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 71 (Wednesday, April 13, 2016)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 22015-22016]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-08703]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 81 , No. 71 / Wednesday, April 13, 2016 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 22015]]


                Proclamation 9419 of April 8, 2016

                
National Volunteer Week, 2016

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Each day, humble people of every background and belief 
                come together to fulfill the timeless responsibility we 
                have as Americans: to accept certain obligations to one 
                another. People of all ages can volunteer, and anyone 
                can, through the smallest of acts, do their part to 
                improve the lives of others. This week, we celebrate 
                the selfless individuals around our country who channel 
                their civic virtues through volunteerism, and we 
                encourage more people to make service an integral part 
                of their lives.

                In National Parks and public schools, food pantries and 
                animal shelters, volunteers fan out in communities 
                across America, devoted to a cause bigger than 
                themselves. In crisis and disaster, they offer not only 
                goods and resources, but also understanding and 
                sympathy to those desperate and distraught. In 
                underserved neighborhoods, they help cultivate hope and 
                inspiration, rolling back poverty and roadblocks to 
                opportunity. Generations of these often unsung heroes--
                driven by their conviction that we all have a stake in 
                each other--have lifted up those they know and those 
                they do not, making our Nation and our world a better 
                place.

                My Administration is dedicated to giving people more 
                opportunities to serve. I established a Task Force on 
                Expanding National Service that supports the expansion 
                of service and volunteer projects to address some of 
                our Nation's highest priorities. Through the 
                Corporation for National and Community Service, 
                AmeriCorps and Senior Corps have mobilized millions of 
                Americans, sending them to areas in need of dedicated 
                volunteers. Under these programs, we have established 
                campaigns that address specific needs in vulnerable 
                communities, such as increasing access to college, 
                improving STEM education, and preserving our 
                environment. I have also called on 200,000 Federal 
                scientists and engineers to help mentor young people in 
                STEM fields. And in 2014, I launched the Employers of 
                National Service initiative, connecting employers with 
                AmeriCorps and Peace Corps alumni--because often the 
                most talented, tireless, and mission-driven employees 
                are those who have given of themselves for the 
                betterment of others. In the time since, hundreds of 
                employers have signed up to participate in this 
                program.

                Volunteers help drive our country's progress, and day 
                in and day out, they make extraordinary sacrifices to 
                expand promise and possibility. During National 
                Volunteer Week, let us shed the cynicism that says one 
                person cannot make a difference in the lives of others 
                by embracing each of our individual responsibilities to 
                serve and shape a brighter future for all.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim April 10 through 
                April 16, 2016, as National Volunteer Week. I call upon 
                all Americans to observe this week by volunteering in 
                service projects across our country and pledging to 
                make service a part of their daily lives. To find a 
                service opportunity nearby, visit www.Serve.gov.

[[Page 22016]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                eighth day of April, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and fortieth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2016-08703
Filed 4-12-16; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F6-P