[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 50 (Monday, December 17, 2001)]
[Pages 1771-1772]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on America's Fund for Afghan Children in New Windsor, Maryland

December 8, 2001

    The President. Well, thank you all very much. Good morning.
    Audience members. Good morning.
    The President. First, Harold, thanks a lot for the introduction, and 
thanks for your leadership for the Red Cross. It's a joy to know that 
we're part of a country that houses such a great institution as the Red 
Cross, that intends to help people. And I want to thank you, and I want 
to thank all the Red Cross volunteers who are here to make sure that 
this warehouse functions well and that the mission of helping Afghan 
children is fulfilled.
    Laura and I are thrilled to be here. First, I want you to tell your 
neighbors that we really appreciated the good folks of New Windsor 
lining the road to wave. It made us feel great this morning, coming in 
from the middle school where we landed, by the way. I don't know how 
many times a helicopter has landed on the soccer field of the middle 
school--[laughter]--but it did this morning. And a lot of your 
townsfolks were out there to greet us. And for that we are really, 
really grateful, so please tell them thanks on our behalf.
    And I'm so proud of the job Laura is doing on behalf of the country. 
She is such a steady, calm influence, and she knows the important 
priorities of life. And it starts with moms and dads loving their 
children with all your heart and all your soul. And so, welcome, Laura, 
and thank you for coming with me today to New Windsor.
    David, I want to thank you, as well, for your leadership of the Red 
Cross. And I particularly want to thank Kristen Thompson. She did a 
fantastic job, I thought, introducing--[applause]. You must have a 
pretty darn good school system here. [Laughter] She sounds incredibly 
well educated, and she was able to handle the pressure in such an 
articulate way. So, Kristen, thank you, and thank all the boys and girls 
who are here from this town. Those who have helped raise money for the 
Afghan children, I want to thank you. I know a lot of the Boys and Girls 
Clubs around America and particularly here have helped, and I want to--
thanks. I want to thank all the Scouts who are here for working to--
[applause]. And I want to thank all the students who are here, as well.
    I also want to thank your U.S. Congressman, Roscoe Bartlett, and his 
wife, Ellen, for being here. I don't know where the Congressman is--I 
saw him earlier today--but I want to thank you for coming, Congressman. 
I know you care a lot about this part of the world, and I appreciate you 
being here this morning.
    I also want to thank Federal Express. It's a fine United States 
company, and they are going to fly the first flight of supplies 
overseas. And I want to thank Federal Express for understanding that 
part of being a good corporate citizen in America is to assume 
responsibility to help others. And Federal Express has done this, and I 
appreciate your service, and I appreciate your example. Thank you very 
much.
    And finally, I want to thank the Church of the Brethren. I want to 
thank you all. I want to thank you for your compassion and love, and I 
want to thank you for loaning your warehouse for this most noble 
project. It is so kind of you to figure out a way to help. And so on 
behalf of all Americans, particularly the children who have contributed 
to the fund, thanks a lot for your contribution, as well.
    You know, coming here this morning makes me so proud of America and 
of our young people. We have given the Afghan children something to 
smile about, because America's children are generous and kind and 
compassionate. There have been bake

[[Page 1772]]

sales, and there have been lemonade stands, and there are empty piggy 
banks, and there have been all kinds of drives to raise money for the 
Afghan children.
    We've raised over $1.5 million thus far to help the children of 
Afghanistan. That's a lot of effort by a lot of youngsters. Everywhere I 
go, people are--yesterday, on the U.S.S. Enterprise, where I went to 
thank our soldiers and sailors for defending freedom, one of the sailors 
handed me a dollar from his daughter and said, ``Would you make sure 
that gets into the Fund for Afghan Children?'' It's happening all across 
the country, and I want to thank everybody for their hard work, for 
raising the donations.
    The spirit driving the donations was summed up in a letter that one 
child wrote. It went this way, it said: ``Dear Afghanistan children, God 
bless. People want to give you a better life. All children should have 
love and respect. I hope this helps you somehow.''
    Tomorrow the first flight will leave, bound for Afghanistan to 
deliver packages. These packages will brighten the lives of Afghan 
children not only during Ramadan but throughout the winter. It is a 
reminder that we are at war with the Taliban regime, not with the good, 
innocent people of Afghanistan.
    We've been made painfully aware of the plight of the Afghan 
children. One in three Afghan children is an orphan. Almost half of 
Afghan children suffer from malnutrition. One in four Afghan children 
won't live beyond their fifth birthday.
    This first shipment represents the good will of the American 
children. It also represents our hope and desires that the plight of the 
Afghan children improves, that life can be better for all children in 
the world. It contains some interesting surprises and vital supplies.
    Tomorrow we ship 1,500 winter tents to provide shelter for Afghan 
children and their families; 1,685 winter jackets to help keep children 
warm; 10,000 gift parcels, including hats and socks and school supplies, 
toothbrushes and hairbrushes, candy and toys, that we hope and know will 
bring joy to children who have suffered such incredible hardship.
    Each gift parcel is marked this way, ``A Gift to Afghan Children 
from American Children.'' It's spoken in several--it's written in 
several local languages. But one thing is, when spirit is a part of each 
package. And it says: Love knows no bounds or boundaries.
    Americans of all ages care deeply about our fellow citizens, because 
we're a truly compassionate nation. We're a nation of heart, a nation of 
decency, and a nation that loves freedom. Removing the Taliban regime in 
Afghanistan is one way to help the children and women of Afghanistan. 
It's one way to make sure the children and women of Afghanistan are able 
to have a more decent and hopeful life. And the Afghan Children's Fund 
is another way to help.
    And so today I come to this warehouse full of love and decency and, 
on behalf of America, say thank you from the bottom of our heart.
    May God bless all the children in the world, and may God continue to 
bless America. Thank you.

 Note:  The President spoke at 8:50 a.m. at the Brethren Service Center. 
In his remarks, he referred to Harold Decker, interim chief executive 
officer, American Red Cross; David J. Bronczek, president and chief 
executive officer, FedEx Express; and Kristen Thompson, a seventh grader 
at New Windsor Middle School.