[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 36 (Monday, September 15, 2008)]
[Pages 1181-1185]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on Voluntarism

September 8, 2008

    Thank you all. Please be seated. Welcome to the south ground of the 
White House. It is a joy to be here with members of the armies of 
compassion. I'm really glad you're here. I appreciate your inspiration 
to our fellow citizens. I believe you are a constant reminder of the 
true source of our Nation's strength, which is the good hearts and souls 
of the American people.
    We have seen the good hearts of our people over the last week as 
caring volunteers have helped their fellow citizens through Hurricane 
Gustav and Tropical Storm Hanna. The Red Cross, which provides a vital 
role in helping the relief efforts and recovery efforts, has been 
spending millions of dollars to provide shelter and food for the 
evacuees and to help with the clean-up efforts. Yet, charitable 
contributions have not kept pace with their expenses, and I hope our 
fellow citizens will support the Red Cross, particularly as Hurricanes 
Ike and other storms develop over the gulf coast. You can help by going 
to the Red Cross's web site, redcross.org, and make a vital contribution 
to help our fellow citizens.
    I appreciate the fact that those here represent the hundreds of 
thousands of our citizens who answered the call to love a neighbor like 
we'd like to be loved ourselves. I appreciate the fact that you and 
others lift up souls, one person at a time. You strengthen the 
foundation of our democracy, which is the engagement of our people. I 
want to thank you for what you do. God bless you and welcome.
    I thank Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, Department of the Interior, and 
Patricia, who have joined us. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez; 
Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters; Congresswoman Carolyn 
McCarthy--welcome Madame Congresswoman--thanks for coming. I appreciate 
Stephen Goldsmith, the Chairman of the Corporation for National and 
Community Service; Jack Hawkins, Director of Volunteers for Prosperity; 
Ron Tschetter, who is the Director of the Peace Corps--[applause]--I 
knew that was coming--[laughter]--Jean Case, the Chairman of the 
President's Council on Service and Civic Participation; and members of 
that council.
    I appreciate my buddy Michael W. Smith, who is going to play a 
couple of songs for us here, and his wife, Debbie. I want to thank 
student and school administrators and board members from the LEAGUE that 
are here today. These are students from schools all across the country. 
We are glad you are here.
    With us is the 2007 Spirit of Hope Award recipient. This is the 
military's way of honoring people who have given back to their 
communities. Giovanni Balingit--Giovanni, welcome; thank you, sir; 
congratulations to you. I want to thank all those who are here in the 
United States military. Thank you for wearing the uniform of the United 
States.

[[Page 1182]]

    And most of all, thanks for coming. I really appreciate your taking 
time out to come by and let me say hello to you.
    In my first Inaugural Address, I challenged all Americans to be 
citizens--not spectators--responsible citizens, building communities of 
service and a nation of character.
    Eight months later, Americans were tested by the worst attack on our 
Nation. In the midst of chaos and sorrow, Americans responded with the--
with characteristic courage and grace. It was a remarkable moment in our 
country. It really was, when you think about it. Rescue workers wrote 
their Social Security numbers on their arms and then rushed into 
buildings. Citizens became members of ambulance teams. And people from 
all across the country poured into New York City to help.
    The terrorists who attacked our country on September the 11th didn't 
understand our country at all. Evil may crush concrete and twisted 
steel, but it can never break the spirit of the American people.
    In the weeks and months after the attacks, inspiring acts continued 
to unfold all across the country. I'm sure you heard the stories, just 
like I did. Men and women of our Armed Forces accepted dangerous new 
duties, and a lot of folks stepped forward to volunteer to protect our 
fellow citizens. But the desire to serve reached far beyond the 
military. Millions of Americans were--really wanted to help our country 
recover.
    And so, to tap into that spirit, I called on every American to spend 
at least 4,000 hours--or 2 years in the course of a lifetime--to serve 
our Nation through acts of compassion. Some said that's acting--asking a 
lot for the country, and they were right--and they were right. Two years 
during a lifetime is a lot to give. But the truth of the matter is, 
citizens who do give realize that they become enriched just like those 
folks that they're helping.
    To empower Americans looking to help, we launched what's called the 
USA Freedom Corps. The goal of the USA Freedom Corps was to connect 
Americans with opportunities to serve our country, to foster a culture 
of citizenship and responsibility and service. Over the last 6 years, 
the USA Freedom Corps has met these goals.
    One way we helped was to launch a web site called volunteer.gov, 
which is the largest clearinghouse of volunteer opportunities in 
America. In other words, we used high-tech innovations to be able to 
channel people's desire to serve in a constructive way.
    And so, the Government--this Government web site directs people to 
private charities or local churches or Habitat for Humanity drives or 
Meals on Wheels--just opportunities to serve their neighbor. We can't 
put love in somebody's heart, but we certainly can help somebody channel 
their love. And that was the purpose of the web site.
    And you can search by hometown. They tell me that if you get on 
Crawford, Texas, you'll find that the local Humane Society leaks--seeks 
volunteer pet groomers, which makes Barney really nervous. [Laughter]
    This is just one of 4 million volunteer opportunities on the USA 
Freedom Corps web site. Isn't that interesting? There are 4 million 
opportunities for somebody who wants to serve to say, ``Here's how I can 
help.'' And so, I urge our fellow citizens to go to the web site and 
find out if there's not something that'll interest you, something 
that'll give you a chance to serve something greater than yourself.
    The USA Freedom Corps fosters a culture of service by encouraging 
the private sector to step forward. We've got what we call the Pro Bono 
Challenge, which is--encourages corporate professionals to donate their 
services to charities and nonprofits. That makes a lot of sense, doesn't 
it, to encourage corporate America to not only serve their shareholders, 
but serve the communities in which they exist.
    One really interesting, innovative idea came out of IBM this year. 
IBM employees will donate millions of hours of service to charities in 
the U.S., as well as technology projects in developing nations. They 
tell me that this work would cost $250 million if IBM's devoted 
employees were charging and not providing for free. I want to thank the 
CEO of IBM, Sam Palmisano, who is with us today. Sam, thank you very 
much for coming. And I encourage corporate America to figure out ways 
that they can serve to make America a better place.

[[Page 1183]]

    Another key component of USA Freedom Corps is our effort to keep 
track of Americans' service to others. I mean, it's one thing to talk 
about it; it's another thing to measure, to kind of see how we're doing. 
In 2002, this administration became the first to conduct a regular 
survey of volunteerism through the U.S. Census Bureau. Because we've 
brought--begun to measure, we know that nearly 61 million Americans now 
give their time to help their neighbors. Isn't that interesting? Sixty-
one million of our fellow citizens volunteer.
    We've also launched new national programs and enhanced others to 
help our citizens answer the call to service. For example, we helped 
Americans answer the call by creating the Citizen Corps. [Applause] 
Sounds like quite a few members have shown up. [Laughter] And we are 
glad you're here.
    For those of you who don't know what the Citizen Corps is, it's a 
way for people to volunteer to help respond to disasters. This was set 
up right after September the 11th. Americans have formed community 
emergency response teams--[applause]--there you go--fire corps, medical 
reserve corps, neighborhood watch groups. Today, there are nearly 1 
million Citizen Corps volunteers nationwide.
    And one of those volunteers is County Judge Ed Emmett from Harris 
County, Texas. So, let me tell you about what the Citizen Corps of 
Harris County did. So, Katrina hits, there's about 200,000 gulf coast 
residents headed into the Houston area. The Citizen Corps showed up. 
Volunteers came to process evacuees, to help treat the ill and injured, 
and to help settle storm victims in permanent housing.
    Here's what Ed said--I've known him for a long time, by the way--the 
Judge said: ``That's just what members of the Citizen Corps do; they 
take care of their neighbors.'' And Judge, I want to thank you, and all 
of the members of the Citizen Corps nationwide for taking care of your 
neighbors.
    We've helped Americans answer the call by creating a program called 
Volunteers for Prosperity. This initiative matched skilled American 
professionals with service opportunities, a lot of them in the 
developing world. This year, we mobilized more than 43,000 doctors, 
teachers, engineers, and other skilled volunteers. That's a pretty good 
start for an important program, it seems like to me. These men and women 
save babies from malaria on the continent of Africa. They bring modern 
information technology to Afghanistan. They live out one of America's 
strongest beliefs, that to whom much is given, much is required.
    One of those people who is a member of this important team is Zach 
Harvey. He serves on the prosthetics staff at Walter Reed Army Medical 
Center. When he isn't--[applause]--let me finish with old Zach yet. 
[Laughter] When he isn't busy helping our wounded warriors, he's putting 
his skills to use in Guatemala and the Dominican Republic as a Volunteer 
for Prosperity. He works with pediatric cancer patients who've had a 
limb amputated as part of their treatment. He and his team of volunteers 
fit the children with new limbs, and they pass on their skills to other 
caregivers.
    He says the only payment he receives is the pride that comes with 
children's--seeing children walk again. And Zach, we are proud to have 
you here, and thank you for your service. Zach doesn't want anybody to 
look at him--[laughter]--but you can't help it when you're that kind of 
kind man. Appreciate it.
    By the way, both the Citizen Corps and Volunteers for Prosperity 
have been very effective programs. And I really believe Congress needs 
to make these good programs permanent.
    We've also helped answer the call to service by strengthening 
AmeriCorps. This is a program that matches dedicated volunteers with 
hundreds of private charitable institutions. AmeriCorps members sign up 
for 1-year commitments with the idea of strengthening their communities 
by teaching adults how to read or improving health care or helping the 
homeless put a roof over their heads. This is a good program that was 
started by my predecessor, President Clinton.
    After 9/11, we tried to make this program more effective, in other 
words, to help the dollars allocated go further. Today, more than 74,000 
people serve their fellow citizens through AmeriCorps. I have met

[[Page 1184]]

AmeriCorps volunteers all over our country, and they're very inspiring 
Americans.
    One such volunteer was--is Emily Greene. After college, she enlisted 
in the program to serve with the Schools of Hope Literacy Project in 
Madison, Wisconsin. Through the Schools of Hope, Emily has recruited 
hundreds of volunteers to teach children how to read. What kind of--what 
a wonderful gift. When somebody says, ``How can I help serve America?,'' 
how about teaching a child to read as a lasting contribution to the 
future of our country.
    Madison's public elementary schools are improving; the achievement 
gap is narrowing. And Emily, it must make you feel great to leave a 
lasting contribution. And we are glad you're here on behalf of 
AmeriCorps. Thanks for coming.
    We've also helped others serve by expanding the Peace Corps. 
[Applause] So, see, you don't know what I know: That every time I go to 
an embassy overseas and I mention anything about the Peace Corps, and 
there happens to be a Peace Corps contingent--they give that same kind 
of yell. [Laughter] Peace Corps volunteers are incredibly motivated 
people, and it's a fabulous program.
    The number of Peace Corps volunteers has increased. We've reopened 
13--reopened programs in 13 countries. This is a vital program. There 
are about 8,000 Peace Corps members. They are fighting AIDS in Africa, 
training poor workers to start their own businesses in Latin America; 
they're teaching English to children in Asia. What they're doing is 
they're showing the rest of the world the compassionate heart of the 
American citizens. I mean, we are a compassionate nation, and the Peace 
Corps does a fabulous job of advancing that compassion.
    Praya Baruch is with us today. After college, Praya spent 2 years in 
Ghana working with people who are HIV-positive, training religious 
leaders to provide community-based care, and educating young people 
about HIV preparation. She is now on the staff of the Peace Corps. She 
represents the 8,000 people who are on the frontlines of helping people 
deal with some of the more--most difficult problems in the world. Praya, 
we are honored you're here, and I want to thank the Peace Corps.
    There are other ways to help Americans answer the call to service. 
We have got what we call the Faith-Based and Community Initiative 
through which we've empowered Americans to volunteer through their 
churches and congregations.
    You know, I believe that if a program is successful, government 
ought to support it. And I believe if it takes faith to help some--solve 
some of the most intractable problems, government ought not to fear the 
influence of faith in our society, we ought to welcome the influence of 
faith in our society.
    Laura--who is not here, but sends her best wishes--has rallied 
thousands of volunteers to help at-risk children through Helping 
America's Youth Initiative. We've encouraged volunteerism by holding up 
examples of our volunteers. You know, to date, 1.1 million Americans 
have received the President's Volunteer Service Award. That may not seem 
like a big deal to some people, but when you get one and you show it to 
people you're working with, they say, ``How do I get one of those?'' 
[Laughter] ``What do I need to do?'' Well, what you need to do is serve 
your community by volunteering and help make somebody's life better.
    Volunteerism is strong in the country. But the truth of the matter 
is, the farther we've gotten away from 9/11, that memory has begun to 
fade. And some are saying, ``Well, maybe I don't need to volunteer now. 
Maybe the crisis has passed.'' The aftermath of 9/11 isn't nearly as 
intense as it was. And my call to people is, there's always a need. You 
should be volunteering not because of 9/11, but you should be 
volunteering because our country needs you on a regular basis.
    We can use your help. There are citizens who say, ``I need love.'' 
Government can pass law, but it cannot put love into somebody's heart. 
Oftentimes that helps when somebody puts their arm around you and say, 
``How can I help you, brother or sister? What can I do to make your life 
better?''
    And so, today I call upon our fellow citizens to devote 4,000 hours 
over your lifetime in service to your country. You'll become a better 
person for it, and our society will be more healthy as a result of it. 
You know, there's an old adage that says, you can bring

[[Page 1185]]

hope to the lives of others, but the life you enrich the most will 
probably be your own.
    I've witnessed the amazing phenomena of volunteerism throughout my 
travels in this country. At nearly every stop, I make it a point to meet 
a local volunteer selected by the USA Freedom Corps at the steps of Air 
Force One. After they get over the initial shock of seeing me come off 
the plane--[laughter]--I love to ask them what they're doing; what are 
you doing to make your community a better place?
    One such volunteer is a young woman I met in Pittsburgh named 
Kristen Holloway. She started a program called Operation Troop 
Appreciation. It started off as kind of a small program, just an idea, a 
desire to make a statement. Her group collects everything from DVDs and 
phone calls--cards to musical instruments and sports gear. So far, they 
have sent care packages to more than 40,000 men and women serving in the 
frontlines in this war against the extremists. In every package--
[applause].
    Kristen, we're glad you're here. Thank you for--by the way, you're 
representing a lot of people here in this audience and around the 
country who have had--I have had the honor of meeting as volunteers at 
the foot of Air Force One.
    I want to thank you all for showing up when I show up. Generally, 
the weather is nice; sometimes it's not so nice. But nevertheless, 
you're there with your smiling face, and you inspire me. You really do 
lift up my spirits, to meet people who are so dedicated that they are 
willing to take time out of their lives to help somebody in need. And I 
hope by getting you on the front page of your newspapers, that you 
inspire others to show up and serve America by volunteering.
    But I want to tell you what the--what a soldier wrote to Kristen's 
group. A soldier wrote back after getting one of the packages and said, 
``My heart soars with pride to represent a country filled with such 
wonderful people as you.'' That was the thank you note that Kristen's 
group got.
    Well, my heart soars with pride as well to be in the presence of 
those who are lifting up souls and helping mend hearts. I want to thank 
you for what you're doing. I am incredibly optimistic about the future 
of our country. And the reason I am is because I've seen firsthand the 
love and the compassion and the decency of our fellow citizens.
    May God bless you. May God bless the armies of compassion.
    And now please welcome my buddy Michael W. Smith.

Note: The President spoke at 1:21 p.m. on the South Lawn at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Patricia Kempthorne, wife of 
Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne; and entertainer Michael W. 
Smith.