    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book I)]
    [January 30, 2003]
    [Pages 102-107]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on the Anniversary of the USA Freedom Corps
    January 30, 2003

        Thank you all for coming. The most compassionate thing Darrell Green
    has done is to retire--[laughter]--particularly if you're a Dallas
    Cowboys fan. [Laughter] The most compassionate thing Darrell
    Green has done is decided to lend his heart to
    help America be a more welcoming society for every citizen. I appreciate
    his leadership. I appreciate his friendship, and I appreciate the other
    members of the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation.
        Darrell will lead this distinguished group
    of citizens. We have plucked two really fine Americans to be Vice
    Chairmen. That's, of course, Senators Glenn and
    Dole, distinguished Americans who have served their
    country in many ways. Along with those, there's a lot of other well-
    known Americans who have heard a call to be responsible citizens for the
    future of this country by using their positions of influence and stature
    to rally the true strength of the country, which is the compassion of
    our fellow citizens. And I want to thank them for their participation in
    this commission.
        It's a commission not only to convince our fellow citizens to love
    one another just like we like to be loved; it's a commission also to
    devise practical ways to encourage

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    others to serve. And one practical way is for the development of an
    award that Americans from all walks of life all around our country will
    be able to post boldly on their wall, that says, ``I served this great
    country by loving somebody.'' And I want to thank you all for joining
    us. It is an important program.
        I want to thank members of my administration who are here who will
    be involved in the implementation of some of the initiatives that I've
    outlined to the United States Congress. The Secretary of Education is
    here, Rod Paige, behind me. John
    Ashcroft is here, the Attorney General. Rich
    Carmona, who is the U.S. Surgeon General, is
    with us today. Stephen Goldsmith, who is
    the Chair of the Corporation for National and Community Service, is with
    us. Les Lenkowsky is with us, who is the
    CEO of that Corporation. Gaddi Vasquez, who
    is the head of the Peace Corps, is with us.
        And most importantly, Alma Powell, Secretary
    of Colin Powell, is with us. Where are you?
    There she is. She's kind of like my mother in
    many ways. She's always telling me what to do--[laughter]--and I'm
    always listening.
        I want to thank Congressman Tom Osborne for
    coming today. Congressman, I'm honored that you're here. I appreciate
    your compassion and your care for our fellow citizens. They tell me Tim
    Roemer is here, who just retired from the United
    States Congress. I appreciate Tim's participation.
        I know the Mayor is here. Mayor
    Anthony Williams, who is a--I like to tease the Mayor, remind him that--
    to keep fixing those potholes in front of the White House--[laughter]--
    keep that garbage collected. [Laughter] But he's doing a fine job, and
    I'm proud to call him friend, just like many of the citizens here are
    proud to call him Mayor. I want to thank members of the city council who
    are here as well. Mayors and city council members must play an active
    role at rallying the compassion of this country.
        I want to thank the Boys & Girls Clubs across the country but
    particularly here in Washington, DC--Pat Shannon and Tim Sheahan--for opening up
    this facility. The Boys & Girls Club have got a grand history of helping
    children understand the future is bright for them as well as any other
    child in America. Boys & Girls Clubs have been safe havens. They're
    little beacons of light for children who might not see light. And I want
    to thank them for their service to the country. Part of the vision for
    America is that we have a mosaic of all kinds of people providing love
    and comfort for people who need help. And Boys & Girls Club is a part of
    that majestic mosaic of America.
        One of the great strengths of our country is the fact that the
    social entrepreneurial spirit is strong. We got people all across this
    land who don't wait for some law passed out of the United States
    Congress to say, ``What can I do to help a neighbor in need?'' There are
    thousands all across this country who have--who are making a singular
    difference in the lives of one citizen or one neighborhood or one
    community. And the impact of all that care and love allowed me to say
    point-blank to the American people after the tragedy that out of the
    evil done to America is going to come some incredible good.
        I do think there is an important role for Government. One of the
    roles of Government is to ask people to serve today. Once again, I'm
    asking our fellow citizens to serve your community and to serve your
    country by finding a program that will make a difference in somebody's
    lives. It doesn't matter how big or small the program may sound. What
    matters is your love and your energy and your participation. Help
    somebody who is lonely. Mentor somebody who needs care and concern. Feed
    the hungry. Find shelter for the homeless. Answer the call of this
    country.

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        A year ago we started what's called the USA Freedom Corps. I thought
    it was important for the Federal Government to lend a structure to the
    thousands who may want to help, to provide an outlet for those who heard
    the call to provide 4,000 hours, 2 years of service. And people are
    responding. There are over 60,000 opportunities that the USA Freedom
    Corps can steer people to, opportunities to volunteer all across the
    country. And thousands and thousands and thousands of our fellow
    citizens have inquired as to how to help, have said, ``I want to help.
    Let me be a part of an optimistic future for America.'' And I want to
    thank those thousands who have signed up.
        Corporate America has a responsibility. It's fine to sell product,
    and that's important. There's a lot of responsibilities that come with
    running a company. Telling the truth is a responsibility that comes with
    running a country, by the way; treating your--being honest with your
    shareholder, if you're a public company; being thoughtful to your
    employee. But I also believe there's a corporate responsibility to
    encourage and provide incentive for employees to go help in the
    community in which the company exists. One hundred-sixty companies have
    signed up. I know Rich Parsons is here,
    of AOL/Time Warner, Gene Case; and this company
    has been one of the--on the forefront, among others--Nardelli, of Home Depot, as well--have encouraged their
    employees to not only provide good product but provide love and
    compassion in their communities.
        And I want to thank corporate America for hearing the call. I
    encourage more companies and more corporations to participate in this
    quest to make sure the American Dream extends itself in every
    neighborhood and in every corner of this country.
        AmeriCorps has got tens of thousands of people helping to inoculate
    children against disease or tutoring children. I'm a supporter of
    AmeriCorps. I urge the Congress to pass the ``Citizen Service Act'' to
    make sure that--[applause].
        Part of being a compassionate country also means we need to be
    compassionate abroad. That's one of the reasons I laid out a powerful
    AIDS initiative for the citizens in Africa who suffer from AIDS. It's an
    initiative that I believe will lend the great heart of the American
    people to the salvation of life after life after life on that continent.
        And I want to tell the folks that Peace Corps applications are up by
    30 percent. And what I find--and even more interesting, 38 more
    countries have asked for Peace Corps volunteers to come into their land
    to help their country and to help their citizens realize their full
    potential. See, in this country, we say, ``Every life matters. Everybody
    is precious. Everybody counts.''
        Senior Corps is vibrant and strong these days in America. There's
    over a half a million members of Senior Corps. [Applause] Sounds like
    it's vibrant and strong right here in this room. [Laughter]
        We've got 300 Citizen Corps Councils around America to help every
    community prepare in case of emergency. It's a useful way to--for many
    of our citizens to volunteer, to help lend their talents to make sure
    America is buttoned up and prepared if the worst were to happen again.
        I think we ought to take our initiatives and make sure that they're
    focused and pointed as well--particularly at the Federal level. What I'm
    about to say doesn't preclude other good things happening in America,
    but I do think it makes sense to take some of our resources and lend
    them to help those who are vulnerable citizens, those who have got great
    potential but need a little extra help.
        I strongly believe in mentoring. I know we can change America one
    heart and one soul at a time. There's just no doubt in my mind we can.
    So I want to rally the compassion of the country to focus on junior high
    students who may need a mentor. And I particularly--I want to help the
    boys

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    and girls whose mom or dad may be incarcerated. There are programs all
    across our country that already do that. I fully recognize that. This
    isn't anything new. This is a way to build upon the good works that
    already exist.
        I was in Philadelphia. I saw the program that has been existing way
    before I was thinking about writing my speech, about how that
    community--out of a church--began to call upon other members of churches
    throughout Philadelphia to love a child who has to hug a mom or dad
    through a prison bar. And it's making a difference in the lives of those
    children.
        We need to have that type of program all across the country. I'm
    asking for the Congress to provide $450 million. The money will go to
    encourage recruitment, provide structure, to cover the overhead
    necessary to rally the mentors, to find the folks that are willing to
    hear the call. I believe we can change lives through mentoring.
        You know why I say that? I say it because I've seen mentor and
    mentoree and heard their testimony, just like I did today, earlier. I
    heard about the Best Friends Program here in Washington, DC, changing
    lives. I met a young lady, a junior in college from Atlanta, Georgia.
    She goes to school up here. And her college--they said, ``We need people
    to help. We got what we call a U.S. Dream Academy.'' And she heard the
    call--a junior in college. So I said, ``Can you help?'' And she said,
    ``You bet I can help.'' Erica is now
    mentoring, and I want to thank her for her mentorship. She's changing
    one life. Her love and her compassion and her dedication to something
    greater than herself will give her the great satisfaction of knowing
    that she has made one life better. She may make a lot of other lives
    better, too. But right now, she can say, ``I'm making one life better.''
    It's that cumulative effect of people in America being able to say, ``I
    have made one life better,'' that will make the whole country better.
        I asked my fellow citizens to think about how you can be a person
    making somebody's life better. I talked to Cecil from St. John's Baptist
    in Columbus, Maryland. Cecil said his preacher called him into action
    and his wife said, ``You keep talking about the need for mentors, but
    you haven't done a darn thing about it.'' Cecil and I married well. The
    same thing happens to me, Cecil. [Laughter] But Cecil decided to become
    a mentor. He brought his young mentoree with him today. I decided I'd
    trick the guy and say, ``You got any goals?'' He looked me right in the
    eye and said, ``I'm going to be an architect. I'm going to be an
    architect.'' Congratulations to a great future architect of America, but
    congratulation as well to his mentor who helped set the example. Cecil,
    thank you for coming, and thank your church.
        I met Mark Harris. Mark wears the uniform of
    the United States of America. He's in our military. Mark is here to
    continue his education, and he met Antonio. See, he's a big brother, a
    part of the Big Brothers and Big Sisters program, which is one of our
    Nation's strongest mentoring programs. He realized service to the
    country was more than just putting on the uniform. Service to the
    country was serving our country by loving somebody, by being a mentor.
    He understands what I know, that when you change a life, you change the
    country for the better. Mark and I share a deep passion. We not only
    want a secure country, we want a hopeful country as well, an optimistic
    country.
        I met Karin Walser. She's what I call a
    social entrepreneur. I think I'm looking at a lot of social
    entrepreneurs here. These are people who are, as we say in the
    vernacular, ``thinking outside the box'' to make America a better place.
    She started a program called Horton's Kids, which is a mentoring program
    on Capitol Hill--use the facilities there to help children understand
    structure and focus and love in their lives. No, mentoring is a
    fabulous, fabulous part of the American society.

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        Larry Compton knows. He's a 23-year-old
    student who is with us today. He was mentored as a kid coming up in
    Pontiac, Michigan. He found direction in his life, and guess what? He
    now mentors. He has been mentored, and he now mentors.
        My point is, it's the beginning of a process that feeds upon itself.
    Mentoring will change the country. I ask the Congress to pass this
    initiative. I ask my fellow citizens to join many, many fellow citizens
    in loving somebody who needs help.
        And as we structure response to society's needs, we must never
    forget the power of faith in our society. There's a--some of the
    greatest programs, initiatives, come out of our faith-based programs or
    faith-based churches or synagogues or mosques. You know why? There is a
    universal call to love somebody like you'd like to be loved yourself.
    The handbook is pretty clear about the role of--[applause]. There are
    fabulous programs that aren't related to faith-based initiatives. That's
    fine, and that's good. But the corollary to that is, Government should
    not discriminate against faith-based programs. They ought to welcome
    faith-based programs in our society.
        There are fantastic programs that helped drug addicts kick their
    habit, and I think we ought to focus resources and time and efforts to
    help those who are addicted to drugs. But there are also some wonderful
    programs based upon faith, on the understanding that if you change a
    person's heart, you can change that person's behavior. Our Government
    should welcome faith-based programs into our society.
        So I'll continue to work with Congress to get this, the full aspects
    of the Faith-Based Initiative out of the Halls of Congress. We ought not
    to be stuck on process. We ought to be focused on results. We ought to
    ask the question, does it work? And if it works, we ought to welcome
    anything that works to save American lives.
        I'm a confident man. I'm a confident man about the future of this
    country. I truly believe that we can achieve peace. I believe we can
    achieve peace at home, and I believe we can achieve peace abroad.
    Likewise, I believe we can achieve a hopeful, hopeful future.
        Listen, there are pockets of despair in America. In spite our
    plenty, in spite of the fact that we've got great wealth compared to
    many societies, there are people who hurt, people who wonder about their
    future, people who are lost, people who are addicted, people who need
    help. And there is no question in my mind, however, that because of the
    great strength of our country, the compassion of our people, we can help
    those people realize a better tomorrow.
        The goal of this country is for everyone--not just a few--everyone
    in every community in every State in every part of our country to
    understand the greatness and potential of this country. Everybody counts
    in life. Everybody matters. Everybody is precious in the sight of the
    Almighty. Everybody has worth. That would be a philosophy that drives
    this Government as we work to strive to make the American experience
    strong and hopeful for every single citizen.
        I want to thank my fellow citizens for your love. I want to thank my
    fellow citizens for your time. I want to thank your fellow citizens--my
    fellow citizens for serving something greater than yourself, the
    greatest country on the face of this Earth. God bless you all, and God
    bless America.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:25 a.m. at the Jelleff Branch, Boys &
    Girls Clubs of Greater Washington. In his remarks, he referred to former
    Washington Redskins player Darrell Green; Alma Powell, wife of Secretary
    of State Colin Powell; Mayor Anthony A. Williams of Washington, DC;
    Patricia G. Shannon, president and chief executive officer, and Tim
    Sheahan, executive vice president, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater
    Washington; Rich Parsons, chief executive officer, and Steve Case,
    chairman, AOL/Time Warner; and Bob Nardelli, chairman, president,

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    and chief executive officer, Home Depot. The Office of the Press
    Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of these remarks.