    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
    [February 1, 2002]
    [Pages 163-165]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Announcing the Appointment of Harry James Towey as Director of the Office of Faith-Based and
    Community Initiatives
    February 1, 2002

        The President. Good morning. Thank you all. Please be seated. Well,
    welcome to the Roosevelt Room in the White House. We're honored you all
    came. Thanks for being here.
        I know all of you are here today to be a part of a great cause, and
    that is how best to serve our neighbors in need and to serve our
    community and our country. Really, it's to help change America, one
    heart, one soul, one conscience at a time.
        Our goal is to rally all Americans to our cause. I mean all
    Americans. And I'm proud to have an outstanding man in Jim Towey to join
    me on this cause. First, I want to welcome the Towey family, all of
    them. [Laughter] Mary, Jamie, Joe, Max,
    and John, welcome, guys. And I'm glad Mom is with
    us. Florence, welcome; sure glad to have you
    here.
        And I want to welcome Your Eminence, Cardinal
    Bevilacqua; sure good to see
    you, sir. I've had many a good heart-to-heart visit with His Eminence,
    and I've always come away a better person after having visited with him.
    Thank you for being here. And I want to thank everybody else for being
    here, as well.
        A year ago this week, I announced one of the most important
    commitments of my administration, the Faith-Based and Community
    Initiative. The purpose was to apply the compassion of America to help
    solve the problems of our country. The purpose of this initiative
    recognizes the power of faith in helping heal some of our Nation's
    wounds. The purpose of this initiative is to rally the armies of
    compassion which are spread throughout the United States of America. The
    purpose of the initiative is to recognize our greatest strength, the
    hearts and souls of the American people, and apply that strength to help
    solve problems which afflict many of our citizens.
        Since the attacks of September the 11th, it has become obvious to
    everyone how essential the community and faith-based groups are to the
    well-being of our Nation.

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    They have saved lives. They provide hope. They have helped heal the
    Nation's wounds.
        We have a tremendous opportunity now to take the spirit and apply it
    to problems like poverty and addiction, abandonment and abuse,
    illiteracy and homelessness. These are incredibly tough problems. But I
    believe with the help of faith, we can solve the problems. I have faith
    that faith will work in solving the problems.
        For the past year, the Office of the Faith-Based and Community
    Initiatives has done a terrific job. And I'm proud of the folks that
    work in the office.
        And today I'm honored to name Jim Towey as its new head and new
    Director. He has served a Republican Senator and a Democratic Governor.
    He understands there are things more important than political parties,
    and one of those things more important than political parties is to help
    heal the Nation's soul. He's run a statewide Department of Health; in
    other words, he's an administrator. He also worked with Mother Teresa
    for more than a year--for more than a decade. He brings to the job
    managerial skills and a servant's heart. He will be a great Director,
    and I look forward to working with him to advance a bold initiative.
        In the next year, Jim will work to eliminate barriers that
    discriminate against community and faith-based organizations. Government
    cannot stand in the way of the good works of the people in our
    neighborhoods. Government must expedite and stand on the side of faith-
    based programs. We should not discriminate at the Federal level against
    people who are trying to help us solve the Nation's problems.
        He'll work closely with Members of Congress from both parties to
    pass legislation that will put Government squarely on the side of our
    faith- and community-based groups. Jim will have the full support of a
    new Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, in which
    he will participate along with five Cabinet Secretaries and Steve
    Goldsmith, the Chairman for the
    Corporation of National and Community Service.
        The Council will be chaired by USA Freedom Corps Director John
    Bridgeland. I was proud to announce
    ``Bridge'' 2 days ago when he made his national debut, and I must say he
    handled the pressure quite well. [Laughter] But he's a good fellow who,
    along with Jim, is going to make an enormous difference about fulfilling
    a vision that I truly believe is going to help America help herself, is
    truly going to believe--lift the spirit of this country. After all,
    that's my job. My job is to unify our country around common, big goals.
    And there is nothing more important than to help the hopeless see hope,
    to help the addicted see a better life, to help the collective will of
    our country to have a better tomorrow, realize its potential.
        I'm so proud that Jim has decided to join our team. I'm grateful for
    your sacrifice to your country. I love your heart. America will be
    better off by your service. Welcome.

    [At this point, Director Towey made brief remarks.]

        The President. Good job, Jim. Thank you. Thank you all for coming.

    Note: The President spoke at 9:18 a.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the
    White House. In his remarks, he referred to Mr. Towey's wife, Mary, and
    their sons, Jamie, Joe, Max, and John, and Mr. Towey's mother, Florence;
    and His Eminence Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua, Archbishop, the
    Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The transcript released by the Office of
    the Press Secretary also included the remarks of Mr. Towey.

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