[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 41 (Monday, October 15, 2001)]
[Pages 1463-1465]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks to the March of Dimes Volunteer Leadership Conference

October 12, 2001

    Thank you very much. Thank you all. Thank you all very much. Okay. 
Thank you all very much for your warm welcome. I'm honored to be here. I 
understand that for more than six decades, the volunteers and supporters 
of the March of Dimes have given help and hope to those in need, and I'm 
here to say thanks on behalf of the American people.
    I'm also here to ask Americans for a good deed, something the 
children of America can do to help the children of Afghanistan.
    Before I begin, I want to thank Tommy Thompson for his leadership. 
He left a great State--almost as good as Texas--[laughter]--to come and 
serve his country. And he's doing a fabulous job. As you know, there was 
a recent incident with anthrax in Florida. And Tommy handled that 
incident with such calm and such purpose and got the facts on the table 
early so that the American people were able to react in a way that did 
not disrupt their lives and, at the same time, felt comfortable that our 
Government was doing everything we could possibly do to protect the 
lives of citizens. Tommy is doing a great job. I'm glad I picked him, 
and I'm glad he came.
    I, too, want to thank Gary and Jennifer for their leadership; thank 
the members of the trustees who are here. I want to thank the sponsors 
of the March of Dimes in this convention who are here. And I 
particularly want to thank the volunteers from all across America who 
have come today.
    I not only appreciate your hard work on behalf of children in 
America; I appreciate you setting a good example by getting on the 
airplanes and trains and buses and going about the business of America. 
We will not let the terrorists hold us hostage in our country.
    I'm especially proud to be here with an organization that's one of 
the most successful voluntary health organizations in the history of our 
Nation. For more than 60 years, 60 long years, the March of Dimes has 
coupled compassion and persistence. Your resolve in combating disease 
has changed the world in which we live.
    Today, you're advocating better access to prenatal care, expanded 
health care coverage, and a greater awareness of proper nutrition and 
immunization. You're supporting genetic testing, screening, and 
research. These efforts are saving the lives of women and children and 
advancing the frontiers of medicine. You're working to reduce birth 
rates by 10 percent, reduce infant mortality to 7 per 1,000 live births, 
limit low birth rate to no more than 5 percent of all live births, and 
increase the number of women who get prenatal care in the first 
trimester to 90 percent--such important goals for our country, such an 
admirable cause. And I'm here to thank you for it.
    Advancing these frontiers is also a priority of my administration, 
as Tommy pointed out. We're working with Congress to increase funding 
for the National Institutes of Health by $2.8 billion next year. And 
that's part of an effort to double NIH's funding to develop treatments 
and cures for some of the most deadly and debilitating diseases, 
diseases that affect Americans of all ages.

[[Page 1464]]

    The March of Dimes is a great influence. And it's important for 
America to understand its history, as well. In the 1930's, America lived 
in fear of contracting a disease simply known as ``the crippler.'' 
Parents were afraid to send their children to public swimming pools or 
movie theaters. Countless children were in leg braces, transported in 
wheelchairs, or confined to what was called iron lungs.
    In 1938, in the course of 4 months, America sent 2.6 million dimes 
to the White House in 4 short months, beginning a campaign that 
eventually resulted in the end of polio. This effort was even more 
extraordinary because it took place during the Great Depression, when a 
dime meant a heck of a lot more then than it means today. [Laughter]
    At the height of the Depression, one-third of Americans were 
unemployed. Nearly 40 percent of banks had failed, and there was great 
anxiety and uncertainty in our country. Yet, hard times drew people 
together. The Great Depression tested America's character and revealed 
America at its best.
    Americans have shown a similar strength since September the 11th. 
Terrorists hoped our Nation would come apart. That's what they hoped 
for. But instead, we've come together. Our country is more resolved, 
more united, and guided by a greater sense of purpose than any time 
during our lifetimes.
    And some important things about our culture seem to be shifting. 
After the attacks, moms and dads held their children closer, and maybe 
for a moment longer. Millions have gone to synagogues and churches and 
mosques to renew their faith, to find perspective, to be reminded of the 
true values of life.
    As Americans, we've mourned together, felt the same outrage and 
resolve, and we've helped our neighbors even when they're strangers. 
People are looking to things that are precious and permanent, things 
like family and faith, community, love of country, and love of one 
another.
    In America, it seems like we're putting first things first. In my 
Inaugural Address, I said that some Americans feel like they share a 
continent but not a country. Today, that feeling is gone. We know we are 
a single nation, each a part of one another. The terrorists did not 
intend this unity and resolve, but they're powerless to stop them.
    Our Nation has suffered a great loss. Yet, we are told that 
tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven 
character; and proven character, hope. And hope does not disappoint.
    Late in life, Eleanor Roosevelt was asked what her husband had 
learned from the experience of polio. She said that Franklin had gained 
strength and courage he had not had before. ``He had to think out the 
fundamentals of living,'' she said, ``and learn the greatest of all 
lessons, infinite patience and never-ending persistence.''
    We all need to have a bit of Franklin Roosevelt in us today. We are 
engaged in a struggle that calls for patience and persistence. We face 
an enemy that plans in secret and acts without morality and without 
remorse.
    We must fight this enemy wherever he plans or hides or runs, abroad 
and here at home. That will take time and determination. Yet, they're 
going to learn that we will not rest, and we will not fail.
    Ours is a war against terrorism and evil, not against Islam. 
Americans respect and admire that religion of peace. And I'm proud our 
country is home to many followers of the Islamic faith. Those who 
hijacked four airliners on September the 11th are also trying to hijack 
Islam. But the mass killing of innocent people clearly violates Islam, 
and countries and clerics throughout the Islamic world have rejected 
these acts.
    Nor is our war against global terrorism a war against the people of 
Afghanistan. The Afghan people are victims of oppression and misrule of 
the Taliban regime. There are few places on Earth that face greater 
misery. One out of every four children dies before the age of five, in 
Afghanistan. It is estimated that one in every three children in 
Afghanistan is an orphan; almost half suffer from chronic malnutrition; 
millions face the threat of starvation. The situation is so bad, so bad, 
that we read about 3-year-old children in Afghanistan who weigh less 
than the average newborn in America.
    We're trying to get food to starving Afghans. In contrast, the 
Taliban regime, those who house the evildoers, has harnessed 
international aid--harassed international aid

[[Page 1465]]

workers and chased them out of their country. The people of Afghanistan 
have suffered too long under Taliban rule.
    That suffering provides us with a task. I'm asking every child in 
America to give not a dime but a dollar to a specific cause, a relief 
effort for the children of Afghanistan. And I want to report to the 
Nation that after I laid out this initiative last night and confirming 
it here at your convention, that I've received the first dollar. 
[Laughter] It came from Justin Washington.
    I know Justin pretty well. [Laughter] I got to see him in the Oval 
Office, and he made it clear, his boots were better than mine. 
[Laughter] But Justin, I want to thank you. Justin knows what I know: A 
dollar today is roughly equivalent to what a dime was in the late 
1930's. It's an appropriate place to announce this initiative of 
compassion.
    I hope American children in their classrooms and families in their 
homes put a dollar in an envelope and send it to America's Fund for 
Afghan Children, to the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue--
[laughter]--Washington, DC 20509. [Laughter]
    Schools, community and youth organizations can organize events to 
raise money for this cause. And they can, at the same time, demonstrate 
compassion and mercy in this hour of need. This effort is an opportunity 
to help others while teaching our children a valuable lesson about 
service and character. We will work with the Red Cross to make sure the 
money is used for food and medicine, to make sure the money provides 
hope and help to the children of Afghanistan.
    We'll also coordinate with the Administrator of USAID to ensure that 
our efforts build on the important humanitarian work already being done.
    During the last month, Americans have been extraordinarily generous 
in their giving of time and money. We still face many needs and 
challenges at home. And that's why Americans should continue supporting 
community-based organizations like the March of Dimes, which is doing so 
much good all across the country.
    And Americans are the most generous people on Earth. And because the 
suffering is so great, I know we need to lend a hand to the children who 
live a world a halfway around the--a place a halfway around the world 
from here.
    By embracing Afghan children, we assert the American ideal. Our 
Nation is the greatest force for good in the world history. We value the 
lives and rights of all people. Our compassion and concern do not stop 
at our border. They reach across the world. Americans are determined to 
fight for our security, no question about it. And we're all equally 
determined to live up to our principles. And I hope, I hope all 
Americans will help us show those principles to the entire world.
    Thank you for what you do, and may God bless America.

Note: The President spoke at 11:58 a.m. in the Regency Ballroom at the 
Omni Shoreham Hotel. In his remarks, he referred to Gary Forsee, 
chairman, Jennifer L. Howse, president, and Justin Washington, national 
ambassador, March of Dimes.