    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1998, Book I)]
    [January 19, 1998]
    [Page 79]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 79]]

    Remarks to Volunteers at Cardozo High School
    January 19, 1998

        The President. Thank you. Are you having a good day?
        Audience members. Yes!
        The President. Me, too. I want to thank Mr. Ballard, the principal, and I want to say a special word
    of appreciation to the officials who are here with me today: first, the
    head of the Corporation for National Service, Harris Wofford; DC City Council Chairperson Charlene Drew
    Jarvis; General Becton; School Board President Harvey; Terri Green, the PTA president;
    the other school board members; and representatives of council members.
    And especially I want to thank all the volunteers in the AmeriCorps NCC
    program. And thanks for this; I like my little jacket here.
        Thirty-one years ago Martin Luther King came to this very
    neighborhood and urged the people here to engage in citizen service to
    rebuild their lives and their community and their future. That's what
    you're doing here today. You are honoring the legacy of Martin Luther
    King and answering the highest calling of citizenship in this country.
        My staff did a little research to illustrate what we could all do if
    we just gave back a little to our community. And they swear that if just
    everybody with the last name of Clinton and Gore in America--just the
    people whose last name is Clinton and Gore in America--would put in 2
    hours a week, they could paint every classroom and every public high
    school in America by Martin Luther King's next birthday.
        Now, that gives you an idea of what we can do if we serve and work
    together. That's why I have invested so much in AmeriCorps, our national
    service program that I'm so proud of. And all of you who are involved in
    the program, let me thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope that
    you're getting a lot out of it. I know the AmeriCorps volunteers I
    painted with today made me feel proud that we started this.
        That's why I have strongly supported, along with all the
    former Presidents,
    General Colin Powell
    and the Presidents' Summit on Service and the work that he is doing and
    that tens of thousands of people across America are doing to give all of
    our children a good chance in life.
        But finally let me say that this country will never be all that it
    can be and your future will never be all that it can be unless we decide
    we're going to build that future together. We will never be able to
    bridge the racial and other divides in this country unless we decide
    we're not only going to work together and learn together but we're going
    to serve together.
        We actually have to believe that we're all better off when our
    neighbors are better off. We actually have to believe that we'll do
    better if we go forward together. We actually have to believe that this
    diversity we have is a blessing; and that the fact that some of us start
    out life poorer than others is a condition that can be overcome if we
    work hard to give people who deserve it a hand up; and that as we do
    that, we are all happier, more fulfilled, and living in a stronger
    America. That's what this is about.
        This is not just about painting the walls of a school, although I
    passionately believe it's important. I, personally, as a student,
    preferred old buildings to new ones, but every student deserves to go
    into a clean building with bright walls and clear windows, sending a
    signal that the student and his or her future is important.
        But you're not just painting a school today, you're painting a very
    different picture for America's future. And it's a beautiful one because
    of you.
        Thank you, and God bless you.

    Note: The President spoke at 12:49 p.m. in the cafeteria. In his
    remarks, he referred to Reginald C. Ballard, principal, and Terri Green,
    Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) president, Cardozo High School; Wilma
    Harvey, president, District of Columbia school board; former Presidents
    Gerald R. Ford, Jimmy Carter, and George Bush; and Gen. Colin Powell,
    USA (Ret.), chairman, America's Promise--The Alliance For Youth. The
    President also referred to the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community
    Corps (NCCC) program of the Corporation for National and Community
    Service.