[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 32, Number 16 (Monday, April 22, 1996)]
[Pages 676-677]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 6885--National Volunteer Week, 1996

April 17, 1996

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    The history of America is a history of volunteerism. Our people have 
always worked together to resolve concerns, to fight injustice, to 
rebuild communities, and to comfort those in need. And though some 
regard today's society with cynicism and doubt, we need only look to the 
more than 89.2 million

[[Page 677]]

volunteers who work tirelessly throughout the year to see that we are 
still a people who care for one another and who daily seek positive 
change by reaching out to others.
    We owe a great debt to the many volunteers who work to stem the 
tides of poverty, hunger, homelessness, crime, and abuse. Examples of 
unsung heroes exist in every neighborhood--a mother starts an after-
school program in her garage to tutor young people in a crime-ridden 
area; a group of teenagers takes youngsters from a local shelter to the 
movies or a cultural event a few times a month; an elderly man looks 
after his neighbor's children so that she can run errands; a family 
makes regular visits to seniors at a local home. Citizens from all walks 
of life are working together to claim our Nation's challenges as their 
own, building bridges among people and setting a powerful example of 
leadership and compassion.
    This week and throughout the year, let us salute all those who 
devote their time, their talents, and sometimes even their lives to the 
betterment of our communities. And let us recognize organizations like 
the Corporation for National and Community Service and the Points of 
Light Foundation that foster the spirit of service across America. In 
partnership with government, schools, and religious communities, these 
caring individuals and groups are expanding and encouraging the great 
American legacy of volunteerism.
    Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United 
States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the 
Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 21 
through April 27, 1996, as National Volunteer Week. I call upon all 
Americans to observe this week with appropriate programs, ceremonies, 
and activities to express appreciation for volunteers and to encourage 
volunteer activities.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this seventeenth day 
of April, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-six, and 
of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and 
twentieth.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 10:42 a.m., April 18, 
1996]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on April 
19.