    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1991, Book I)]
    [April 12, 1991]
    [Pages 361-363]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Signing the Points of Light National Celebration of Community
    Service Proclamation in Glenarden, Maryland
    April 12, 1991

        Thank you, Van--Mr. Standifer. And may I salute the sponsors and the
    parents and the city and county officials that are with us today. Single
    out the players, some of whom

    [[Page 362]]

    I just met with. And also say to the mayor, Marvin Wilson, and to the
    county executive, Mr. Glendening, Parris Glendening, that I'm just
    delighted to be here. And I saw earlier Marty Madden and John Morgan,
    the State delegates, and we're glad to have been greeted by them. All of
    us should thank the business leaders in the front row and other sponsors
    who made this day possible.
        And I'm glad to be here; I really mean that. You know, when I told
    Barbara that I'd be visiting a great institution dedicated to keeping
    guys off the street and out of trouble, she said, ``George, you spoke to
    Congress last month.'' [Laughter]
        And then I told her, ``No, as Commander in Chief I want to see
    firsthand some real American air power: dazzling nighttime shooting,
    skilled tactical wizardry, and the courageous airborne maneuvers
    Americans have become world-famous for.'' And she said, ``Oh, you mean
    Midnight Basketball.'' [Laughter] And here we are.
        You know, America--we do have a lot to celebrate these days. And
    people all over the country are finding a new sense of confidence in our
    young men and women. And you can see it in the faces, obviously, of
    every single soldier and sailor, every airman, and marine that served
    America and the world so well, now coming home from the Persian Gulf.
    But you, also, see it here today. And I'm proud to tell you that I've
    never had more confidence in the future than after coming here and to
    other Points of Light--this instance, our 124th daily Point of Light--to
    see this Midnight Basketball myself. I do feel confident in the young
    people of this country and in those who are helping them.
        And this country is finally catching on to the fact that whenever
    drugs are involved, everybody loses. But here, everybody wins. And some
    may get better at basketball, but everyone gets a better shot at life--
    every participant.
        And the volunteers who make this program work bring in speakers, and
    they set up tutorials and workshops. And with local technical schools,
    they're helping these young men learn skills to live by. The focus here
    is not on problems; it's on promise and potential.
        And you know, when Van Standifer visited the White House a few
    months ago, he said, ``The last thing in the world that Midnight
    Basketball is about is basketball.'' He said it was about providing
    opportunities for young adults to escape drugs and get on with their
    lives. And he's right. Midnight Basketball has become a real community
    institution. And people come to play and to watch and to cheer and to
    find new hope and to shape their lives. Streets once littered with drugs
    and plagued by violence have become peaceful and passable. Not
    surprisingly, the crime rate has dropped by 60 percent since this
    program began. And so, Van, in my view, you are doing the kind of
    creative thinking that we need to encourage everywhere in this country.
        And that's why, today, we're launching a National Celebration of
    Community Service, a tribute to the spirit of service in America, 2
    weeks to salute the year-round efforts of everyone from kids to seniors
    now working to find solutions for every kind of challenge, everywhere in
    the United States of America.
        Every American involved in service is reaffirming this nation as a
    community of conscience, a decent land--proud, but not boastful--with a
    national will reaffirmed and redirected, an America that has
    rediscovered the can-do attitude.
        So, Midnight Basketball by itself may not transform America. But
    imagine what would happen, just think what would happen if all Americans
    made service to others a central part of their lives.
        I believe the day will come when Americans who are not committed to
    community service will wake up, will realize how much they're missing.
    They'll experience the fulfillment that comes from serving others, and
    we'll begin to fill in gaps no government could ever fill in alone.
    People won't be able to look the other way or walk away ever again.
        Right now, everyday heroes you've never heard of are wrestling with
    the tough, gritty problems that many Americans try to avoid but which we
    as Americans simply cannot ignore. One by one, step by step, day by day,
    they're changing lives, and they're enjoying themselves.

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        Somebody told me that in Midnight Basketball, the only defense
    allowed is man-to-man. And that's important, because our only defense
    against despair, drugs, hopelessness has to happen one-to-one. You don't
    have to try to change the world, just help one person. Teach one person
    to read, feed one hungry child, hold one lonely hand. That's all it
    takes.
        Too many look at life and wonder, well, what's the point. But Points
    of Light never have to ask what's the point of life. They know. It's
    something bigger than themselves. And they know that the power of one
    hopeful person can outshine a million indifferent stares and give life
    to a million different dreams. They know that caring individuals can
    light up every corner of the land.
        So, I wanted to come over here today simply to say thanks to Mr.
    Standifer, to county and city officials, to the players, to the coaches,
    to the sponsors. And everybody understands what we're talking about when
    we talk about one American helping another.
        I want to thank you all for what you're doing. May God bless our
    great country. And now, with great pleasure, I will sign this
    proclamation. Thank you very much.

                        Note: The President spoke at 2:20 p.m. in the
                            gymnasium of the Glenarden Community Center. In
                            his opening remarks, he referred to Van
                            Standifer, founder of the Midnight Basketball
                            League; Marvin F. Wilson, major of Glenarden;
                            Parris Glendening, Prince George's County
                            executive; and Martin G. Madden and John S.
                            Morgan, delegates to the Maryland General
                            Assembly. The proclamation is listed in Appendix
                            E at the end of this volume.