    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 30, Number 16 (Monday, April 25, 1994)]
    [Page 822]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Proclamation 6673--National Volunteer Week, 1994

    April 15, 1994

    By the President of the United States

    of America

    A Proclamation

        Since the founding of our democracy, the ideal of community service
    has been an integral part of our national character. As the words of
    Thomas Jefferson remind us, ``A debt of service is due from every man to
    his country proportioned to the bounties which nature and fortune have
    measured to him.'' Throughout our history, Americans have been called
    upon to meet his challenge a thousandfold. For our Nation is a place of
    tremendous blessings--a noble purpose, a wealth of resources, a diverse
    and determined people. We are rich in the gifts of freedom. During this
    week especially, we realize anew that shared responsibility is freedom's
    price.
        That our vibrant spirit of community has made our country strong
    reflects our understanding of this enduring truth. Every day, countless
    volunteers across America work to address the fundamental necessities of
    our people--educating our youth, protecting our environment, caring for
    those in need. From children who help older Americans after school to
    volunteer firemen who guard our neighborhoods while we sleep, these
    dedicated individuals bring a sense of hope and security to everyone
    whose lives they touch. Their service makes us stronger as a Nation,
    setting a powerful example of leadership and compassion to which we all
    can aspire.
        This past year has marked the beginning of a new era for America, an
    era in which those of us who have benefited from this great land are
    acting on our instincts to help others in return. Though government has
    an important role to play in meeting the many challenges that remain
    before us, we are coming to understand that no organization, including
    government, will fully succeed without the active participation of each
    of us. Working family by family, block by block, the efforts of
    America's volunteers are vital to enabling this country to live up to
    the true promise of its heritage.
        Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United
    States of America, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
    laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim the week of April 17
    through April 23, 1994, as ``National Volunteer Week.'' I call upon all
    Americans to observe this week with appropriate programs, ceremonies,
    and activities as an expression of their gratitude.
        In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day
    of April, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-four, and
    of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
    eighteenth.
                                                William J. Clinton

    [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 11:03 a.m., April 18,
    1994]

    Note: This proclamation was released by the Office of the Press
    Secretary on April 16, and it was published in the Federal Register on
    April 19.