[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book I)]
[March 9, 2007]
[Page 273]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks Prior to a Discussion With Members of the Community in Sao Paulo
March 9, 2007

    Well, first I'd like to thank Flavio for 
his hospitality. Laura and I are so thrilled to 
be in Brazil. We love your beautiful country, but I also love the fact 
that there are people who are deeply concerned about the plight of the 
least of us. And I am very proud of my country's contribution to helping 
social entrepreneurs helping people help others. I believe you can 
change society one heart at a time; that's what I believe. But I know in 
order to do so, it requires people who are willing to make sacrifice.
    Flavio is a--runs a place of love and 
compassion, all aimed at being a part of that social fabric that helps 
heal the broken heart and provides hope for the future.
    And so I thank you all for joining Laura and 
me. I'm really looking forward to hearing about what you have done, how 
others can help. But the main reason I'm here is to thank you. We're all 
members of God's family, and when one of us hurts, we all should hurt. 
And there are a lot of hurting people in the world, a lot of hurting 
people in Brazil. And the people in the United States care.
    So I'm honored to be with you. I look forward to the roundtable. 
Flavio, I guess this is your place, so you 
start--right?

[At this point, the public portion of the event concluded; the 
discussion continued, however, and no transcript was provided.]

Note: The President spoke at 4:41 p.m. at Meninos do Morumbi. In his 
remarks, he referred to Flavio Pimenta, president and director, Meninos 
do Morumbi. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish 
language transcript of these remarks.