[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.

[[Page 164]]

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.


[[Page 165]]