    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book I)]
    [June 28, 2008]
    [Pages 889-891]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    June 28, 2008

        Good morning. This week, the White House Office of Faith-Based and
    Community Initiatives held a conference to highlight the work being done
    by our Nation's armies of compassion, with help from the Federal
    Government. This conference demonstrated the remarkable difference these
    groups have made over the past 8 years.
        When I first came to office, I was troubled to see many of our
    citizens' greatest needs going unmet: Too many addicts walked the rough
    road to recovery alone, too many prisoners had the desire for reform,
    but no one to show them the way. Across our country, the hungry,
    homeless, and sick begged for deliverance, and too many heard only
    silence in reply.
        The tragedy was that there were good men and women across America
    who had the desire to help but not the resources. Because many of them
    worked with small charities, they were overlooked by Washington as
    potential partners in service. And because many of them belonged to
    faith-

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    based organizations, they were often barred from receiving support from
    the Federal Government.
        So I set about to change this with a new approach called
    compassionate conservatism. This approach was compassionate, because it
    was rooted in a timeless truth: that we ought to love our neighbors as
    we'd like to be loved ourselves. And this approach was conservative,
    because it recognized the limits of government: that bureaucracies can
    put money in people's hands, but they cannot put hope in people's
    hearts.
        Putting hope in people's hearts is the mission of our Nation's
    faith-based and community groups, so my administration decided to treat
    them as trusted partners. We held these groups to high standards and
    insisted on demonstrable results. And they have delivered on those
    expectations.
        Through their partnerships with the Government, these organizations
    have helped reduce the number of chronically homeless by nearly 12
    percent, getting more than 20,000 Americans off the streets. They have
    helped match nearly 90,000 children of prisoners with adult mentors. And
    they have helped provide services such as job placement for thousands of
    former inmates.
        Faith-based and community groups have also had a powerful impact
    overseas. In Africa, they have participated in our malaria initiative.
    In just over 2 years, this effort has reached more than 25 million
    people. And according to new data, malaria rates are dropping
    dramatically in many parts of that continent.
        These groups have also been a vital part of the Emergency Plan for
    AIDS Relief. When we launched this program in 2003, about 50,000 people
    in sub-Sahara Africa were receiving antiretroviral treatment for HIV/
    AIDS. Today, that number is nearly 1.7 million.
        Behind each of these statistics, there are stories of people whose
    lives have been changed by the kindness of faith-based and community
    organizations. One such person is Ramie Siler.
        Ramie was once lost to substance abuse,
    recidivism, and depression. Even when she tried to get clean for her
    daughter's high school graduation, Ramie couldn't
    break free from her addiction. Then she found a faith-based group called
    the Next Door. At the Next Door, Ramie met people who stood by her
    throughout her difficult recovery. They gave her a second chance to
    become a productive citizen and good mother.
        Today, Ramie is reunited with her
    daughter. She now helps other women as the Next
    Door case manager. When Ramie describes her turnaround, she uses the
    words of Saint Paul: ``Old things have passed away; behold, all things
    are becoming new.''
        I'm grateful to every American who works to create this spirit of
    hope. Because of you, our Nation has made great strides toward
    fulfilling the noble goals that gave rise to the Faith-Based and
    Community Initiative. And because of you, I'm confident that the
    progress we have made over the past 8 years will continue. Because of
    you, countless souls have been touched and lives have been healed.
        Thank you for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 7:50 a.m. on June 27 at Camp David,
    MD, for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on June 28. The transcript was made
    available by the Office of the Press Secretary on June 27, but was
    embargoed for release until the broadcast. The Office of the Press
    Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of this address.

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