[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

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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.