[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 15 (Monday, April 19, 1999)]
[Pages 667-668]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7186--National Volunteer Week, 1999

April 16, 1999

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    Helping others--and helping others help themselves--through 
volunteer work is a great American tradition. Our Nation's dedicated 
volunteers come from all walks of life, all races, and all ages. Whether 
they support

[[Page 668]]

their communities through their churches, synagogues, or other religious 
institutions, serve full-time as AmeriCorps members, or spend a few 
hours a week helping out organizations or individuals in need, America's 
volunteers are bringing hope and help to their fellow citizens and 
building a stronger, more compassionate Nation for us all.
    Our volunteers know that service is one of the best ways to make a 
difference in the lives of others--and they are proving that Americans 
at any stage of life can serve. Thousands of older Americans donate 
their time to serve as foster grandparents, senior companions, and as 
part of the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program and other initiatives. 
As many as 13 million young Americans aged 12 to 17 also volunteer each 
year, improving their communities, broadening their educational 
experiences, developing new skills, and increasing their understanding 
of the responsibilities of citizenship. This week, during National Youth 
Service Day, young people across our country will participate in service 
activities and demonstrate with their good works the power of youth to 
strengthen our Nation.
    Volunteers will become increasingly vital to our society as we enter 
a new millennium. We cannot rely solely on charitable contributions or 
government programs to address the challenges we see in our communities. 
Each of us must find our own role and take action as a volunteer, a 
neighbor, and a citizen. We must work together to ensure that every 
child has a caring adult in his or her life, a safe place in which to 
live and grow, a good school to attend, a healthy start in life, and a 
chance to serve the community. We must continually strive to bring hope 
and hard work to bear on the human problems we see every day. With warm 
hearts and willing hands, we can make a lasting difference.
    During this week, let us renew our spirit of community, our sense of 
idealism, and our commitment to service. Let us also honor the 
invaluable work of the thousands of voluntary, civic, religious, school, 
and neighborhood groups across our country that are leading the way by 
serving their fellow Americans and improving the quality of life for us 
all.
    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 18 
through April 24, 1999, as National Volunteer Week. I call upon all 
Americans to observe this week with appropriate programs, ceremonies, 
and activities to express appreciation to the volunteers among us for 
their commitment to service and to encourage the spirit of volunteerism 
in our families and communities.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this sixteenth day 
of April, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-nine, and 
of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and 
twenty-third.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:51 a.m., April 20, 
1999]

Note: This proclamation will be published in the Federal Register on 
April 21.