    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book II)]
    [September 8, 2008]
    [Pages 1177-1182]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Voluntarism
    September 8, 2008

        Thank you all. Please be seated. Welcome to the south ground of the
    White House. It is a joy to be here with members of the armies of
    compassion. I'm really glad you're here. I appreciate your inspiration
    to our fellow citizens. I believe you are a constant reminder of the
    true source of our Nation's strength, which is the good hearts and souls
    of the American people.
        We have seen the good hearts of our people over the last week as
    caring volunteers have helped their fellow citizens through Hurricane
    Gustav and Tropical Storm Hanna. The Red Cross, which provides a vital
    role in helping the relief efforts and recovery efforts, has been
    spending millions of dollars to provide shelter and food for the
    evacuees and to help with the cleanup efforts. Yet charitable
    contributions have not kept pace with their expenses, and I hope our
    fellow citizens will support the Red Cross, particularly as Hurricanes
    Ike and other storms develop over the Gulf Coast. You can help by going
    to the Red Cross's web site, redcross.org, and make a vital contribution
    to help our fellow citizens.
        I appreciate the fact that those here represent the hundreds of
    thousands of our citizens who answered the call to love a neighbor like
    we'd like to be loved ourselves. I appreciate the fact that you and
    others lift up souls, one person at a time. You strengthen the
    foundation of our democracy, which is the engagement of our people. I
    want to thank you for what you do. God bless you, and welcome.
        I thank Secretary Dirk Kempthorne,
    Department of the Interior, and Patricia, who have joined us. Secretary of Commerce Carlos
    Gutierrez; Secretary of Transportation
    Mary Peters; Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy--welcome Madam Congresswoman--thanks for
    coming. I appreciate Stephen Goldsmith,
    the Chairman of the Corporation for National and Community Service; Jack
    Hawkins, Director of Volunteers for Prosperity;
    Ron Tschetter, who is the Director of
    the Peace Corps--[applause]--I knew that was coming--[laughter]--Jean
    Case, the Chairman of the President's Council on
    Service and Civic Participation, and members of that Council.
        I appreciate my buddy Michael W. Smith,
    who is going to play a couple of songs for us here, and his wife
    Debbie. I want to thank student and school
    administrators and board members from the LEAGUE that are here today.
    These are students from schools all across the country. We are glad you
    are here.
        With us is the 2007 Spirit of Hope Award recipient. This is the
    military's way of honoring people who have given back to their
    communities. Giovanni Balingit--Giovanni,
    welcome. Thank you, sir. Congratulations to you. I want to thank all
    those who are here in the United States military. Thank you for wearing
    the uniform of the United States.
        And most of all, thanks for coming. I really appreciate your taking
    time out to come by and let me say hello to you.
        In my first Inaugural Address, I challenged all Americans to be
    citizens, not spectators--responsible citizens, building communities of
    service and a nation of character.
        Eight months later, Americans were tested by the worst attack on our
    Nation. In the midst of chaos and sorrow, Americans responded with the--
    with characteristic courage and grace. It was a remarkable moment in our
    country. It really was, when you think about it. Rescue workers wrote
    their Social Security numbers on their arms and then rushed into
    buildings. Citizens became members of ambulance teams. And people from
    all across the country poured into New York City to help.

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        The terrorists who attacked our country on September the 11th didn't
    understand our country at all. Evil may crush concrete and twisted
    steel, but it can never break the spirit of the American people.
        In the weeks and months after the attacks, inspiring acts continued
    to unfold all across the country. I'm sure you heard the stories, just
    like I did. Men and women of our Armed Forces accepted dangerous new
    duties, and a lot of folks stepped forward to volunteer to protect our
    fellow citizens. But the desire to serve reached far beyond the
    military. Millions of Americans were--really wanted to help our country
    recover.
        And so to tap into that spirit, I called on every American to spend
    at least 4,000 hours--or 2 years in the course of a lifetime--to serve
    our Nation through acts of compassion. Some said that's acting--asking a
    lot for the country, and they were right. And they were right. Two years
    during a lifetime is a lot to give. But the truth of the matter is,
    citizens who do give realize that they become enriched just like those
    folks that they're helping.
        To empower Americans looking to help, we launched what's called the
    USA Freedom Corps. The goal of the USA Freedom Corps was to connect
    Americans with opportunities to serve our country, to foster a culture
    of citizenship and responsibility and service. Over the last 6 years,
    the USA Freedom Corps has met these goals.
        One way we helped was to launch a web site called volunteer.gov,
    which is the largest clearinghouse of volunteer opportunities in
    America. In other words, we used high-tech innovations to be able to
    channel people's desire to serve in a constructive way.
        And so the Government--this Government web site directs people to
    private charities or local churches or Habitat for Humanity drives or
    Meals on Wheels, just opportunities to serve their neighbor. We can't
    put love in somebody's heart, but we certainly can help somebody channel
    their love. And that was the purpose of the web site.
        And you can search by hometown. They tell me that if you get on
    Crawford, Texas, you'll find that the local Humane Society leaks--seeks
    volunteer pet groomers, which makes Barney really nervous. [Laughter]
        This is just one of 4 million volunteer opportunities on the USA
    Freedom Corps web site. Isn't that interesting? There are 4 million
    opportunities for somebody who wants to serve to say, ``Here's how I can
    help.'' And so I urge our fellow citizens to go to the web site and find
    out if there's not something that'll interest you, something that'll
    give you a chance to serve something greater than yourself.
        The USA Freedom Corps fosters a culture of service by encouraging
    the private sector to step forward. We've got what we call the Pro Bono
    Challenge, which is--encourages corporate professionals to donate their
    services to charities and nonprofits. That makes a lot of sense, doesn't
    it, to encourage corporate America to not only serve their shareholders,
    but serve the communities in which they exist.
        One really interesting, innovative idea came out of IBM this year.
    IBM employees will donate millions of hours of service to charities in
    the U.S. as well as technology projects in developing nations. They tell
    me that this work would cost $250 million if IBM's devoted employees
    were charging and not providing for free. I want to thank the CEO of
    IBM, Sam Palmisano, who is with us
    today. Sam, thank you very much for coming. And I encourage corporate
    America to figure out ways that they can serve to make America a better
    place.
        Another key component of USA Freedom Corps is our effort to keep
    track of Americans' service to others. I mean, it's one thing to talk
    about it, it's another thing to measure, to kind of see how we're doing.
    In 2002, this administration became the first to conduct a regular
    survey of volunteerism through the U.S. Census Bureau. Because we've
    brought--begun to measure,

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    we know that nearly 61 million Americans now give their time to help
    their neighbors. Isn't that interesting? Sixty-one million of our fellow
    citizens volunteer.
        We've also launched new national programs and enhanced others to
    help our citizens answer the call to service. For example, we helped
    Americans answer the call by creating the Citizen Corps. [Applause]
    Sounds like quite a few members have shown up. [Laughter] And we are
    glad you're here.
        For those of you who don't know what the Citizen Corps is, it's a
    way for people to volunteer to help respond to disasters. This was set
    up right after September the 11th. Americans have formed community
    emergency response teams--[applause]--there you go--fire corps, medical
    reserve corps, neighborhood watch groups. Today, there are nearly 1
    million Citizen Corps volunteers nationwide.
        And one of those volunteers is County Judge Ed Emmett from Harris County, Texas. So let me tell you about what
    the Citizen Corps of Harris County did. So Katrina hits, there's about
    200,000 Gulf Coast residents headed into the Houston area. The Citizen
    Corps showed up. Volunteers came to process evacuees, to help treat the
    ill and injured, and to help settle storm victims in permanent housing.
        Here's what Ed said--I've known him for
    a long time, by the way--the jNM/udge said: ``That's just what members
    of the Citizen Corps do; they take care of their neighbors.'' And,
    Judge, I want to thank you and all of the members of the Citizen Corps
    nationwide for taking care of your neighbors.
        We've helped Americans answer the call by creating a program called
    Volunteers for Prosperity. This initiative matched skilled American
    professionals with service opportunities, a lot of them in the
    developing world. This year, we mobilized more than 43,000 doctors,
    teachers, engineers, and other skilled volunteers. That's a pretty good
    start for an important program, it seems like to me. These men and women
    save babies from malaria on the continent of Africa. They bring modern
    information technology to Afghanistan. They live out one of America's
    strongest beliefs, that to whom much is given, much is required.
        One of those people who is a member of this important team is Zach
    Harvey. He serves on the prosthetics staff at
    Walter Reed Army Medical Center. When he isn't--[applause]--let me
    finish with old Zach yet. [Laughter] When he isn't busy helping our
    wounded warriors, he's putting his skills to use in Guatemala and the
    Dominican Republic as a Volunteer for Prosperity. He works with
    pediatric cancer patients who've had a limb amputated as part of their
    treatment. He and his team of volunteers fit the children with new
    limbs, and they pass on their skills to other caregivers.
        He says the only payment he receives is the
    pride that comes with children's--seeing children walk again. And, Zach,
    we are proud to have you here, and thank you for your service. Zach
    doesn't want anybody to look at him--[laughter]--but you can't help it
    when you're that kind of kind man. Appreciate it.
        By the way, both the Citizen Corps and Volunteers for Prosperity
    have been very effective programs. And I really believe Congress needs
    to make these good programs permanent.
        We've also helped answer the call to service by strengthening
    AmeriCorps. This is a program that matches dedicated volunteers with
    hundreds of private charitable institutions. AmeriCorps members sign up
    for 1-year commitments with the idea of strengthening their communities
    by teaching adults how to read or improving health care or helping the
    homeless put a roof over their heads. This is a good program that was
    started by my predecessor, President Clinton.
        After 9/11, we tried to make this program more effective, in other
    words, to help the dollars allocated go further. Today,

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    more than 74,000 people serve their fellow citizens through AmeriCorps.
    I have met AmeriCorps volunteers all over our country, and they're very
    inspiring Americans.
        One such volunteer was--is Emily Greene.
    After college, she enlisted in the program to serve with the Schools of
    Hope Literacy Project in Madison, Wisconsin. Through the Schools of
    Hope, Emily has recruited hundreds of volunteers to teach children how
    to read. What kind of--what a wonderful gift. When somebody says, how
    can I help serve America, how about teaching a child to read as a
    lasting contribution to the future of our country?
        Madison's public elementary schools are improving; the achievement
    gap is narrowing. And, Emily, it must make you
    feel great to leave a lasting contribution. And we are glad you're here
    on behalf of AmeriCorps. Thanks for coming.
        We've also helped others serve by expanding the Peace Corps.
    [Applause] So see, you don't know what I know: That every time I go to
    an Embassy overseas and I mention anything about the Peace Corps, and
    there happens to be a Peace Corps contingent--they give that same kind
    of yell. [Laughter] Peace Corps volunteers are incredibly motivated
    people, and it's a fabulous program.
        The number of Peace Corps volunteers has increased. We've reopened
    13--reopened programs in 13 countries. This is a vital program. There
    are about 8,000 Peace Corps members. They are fighting AIDS in Africa,
    training poor workers to start their own businesses in Latin America;
    they're teaching English to children in Asia. What they're doing is
    they're showing the rest of the world the compassionate heart of the
    American citizens. I mean, we are a compassionate nation, and the Peace
    Corps does a fabulous job of advancing that compassion.
        Praya Baruch is with us today. After
    college, Praya spent 2 years in Ghana working with people who are HIV-
    positive, training religious leaders to provide community-based care,
    and educating young people about HIV preparation. She is now on the
    staff of the Peace Corps. She represents the 8,000 people who are on the
    frontlines of helping people deal with some of the more--most difficult
    problems in the world. Praya, we are honored you're here, and I want to
    thank the Peace Corps.
        There are other ways to help Americans answer the call to service.
    We have got what we call the Faith-Based and Community Initiative
    through which we've empowered Americans to volunteer through their
    churches and congregations.
        You know, I believe that if a program is successful, government
    ought to support it. And I believe if it takes faith to help some--solve
    some of the most intractable problems, government ought not to fear the
    influence of faith in our society, we ought to welcome the influence of
    faith in our society.
        Laura--who is not here, but sends her best
    wishes--has rallied thousands of volunteers to help at-risk children
    through Helping America's Youth Initiative. We've encouraged
    volunteerism by holding up examples of our volunteers. You know, to
    date, 1.1 million Americans have received the President's Volunteer
    Service Award. That may not seem like a big deal to some people, but
    when you get one and you show it to people you're working with, they
    say, ``How do I get one of those?'' [Laughter] ``What do I need to do?''
    Well, what you need to do is serve your community by volunteering and
    help make somebody's life better.
        Volunteerism is strong in the country. But the truth of the matter
    is, the farther we've gotten away from 9/11, that memory has begun to
    fade. And some are saying, ``Well, maybe I don't need to volunteer now.
    Maybe the crisis has passed.'' The aftermath of 9/11 isn't nearly as
    intense as it was. And my call to people is, there's always a need. You
    should be volunteering not because of 9/11, but you should be

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    volunteering because our country needs you on a regular basis.
        We can use your help. There are citizens who say, ``I need love.''
    Government can pass law, but it cannot put love into somebody's heart.
    Oftentimes, that helps, when somebody puts their arm around you and say,
    ``How can I help you, brother or sister? What can I do to make your life
    better?''
        And so today I call upon our fellow citizens to devote 4,000 hours
    over your lifetime in service to your country. You'll become a better
    person for it, and our society will be more healthy as a result of it.
    You know, there's an old adage that says, you can bring hope to the
    lives of others, but the life you enrich the most will probably be your
    own.
        I've witnessed the amazing phenomena of volunteerism throughout my
    travels in this country. At nearly every stop, I make it a point to meet
    a local volunteer selected by the USA Freedom Corps at the steps of Air
    Force One. After they get over the initial shock of seeing me come off
    the plane--[laughter]--I love to ask them what they're doing. What are
    you doing to make your community a better place?
        One such volunteer is a young woman I met in Pittsburgh named
    Kristen Holloway. She started a program
    called Operation Troop Appreciation. It started off as kind of a small
    program, just an idea, a desire to make a statement. Her group collects
    everything from DVDs and phone calls--cards to musical instruments and
    sports gear. So far, they have sent care packages to more than 40,000
    men and women serving in the frontlines in this war against the
    extremists. In every package--[applause].
        Kristen, we're glad you're here. Thank
    you for--by the way, you're representing a lot of people here in this
    audience and around the country who have had--I have had the honor of
    meeting as volunteers at the foot of Air Force One.
        I want to thank you all for showing up when I show up. Generally,
    the weather is nice; sometimes it's not so nice. But nevertheless,
    you're there with your smiling face, and you inspire me. You really do
    lift up my spirits, to meet people who are so dedicated that they are
    willing to take time out of their lives to help somebody in need. And I
    hope by getting you on the front page of your newspapers, that you
    inspire others to show up and serve America by volunteering.
        But I want to tell you what the--what a soldier wrote to
    Kristen's group. A soldier wrote back after
    getting one of the packages and said, ``My heart soars with pride to
    represent a country filled with such wonderful people as you.'' That was
    the thank you note that Kristen's group got.
        Well, my heart soars with pride as well to be in the presence of
    those who are lifting up souls and helping mend hearts. I want to thank
    you for what you're doing. I am incredibly optimistic about the future
    of our country. And the reason I am is because I've seen firsthand the
    love and the compassion and the decency of our fellow citizens.
        May God bless you. May God bless the armies of compassion.
        And now please welcome my buddy Michael W. Smith.

    Note: The President spoke at 1:21 p.m. on the South Lawn at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Patricia Kempthorne, wife of
    Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne.

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