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Dear Colleagues,
Today, seven years since the September 11 attacks, Americans will remember the day with solemn memorials, prayers, and moments of silence.
Earlier this week, President Bush renewed his post 9/11 Call to Service in a speech to thousands of volunteers and service leaders assembled at the White House. The President worried that as we get further from the urgency of community and togetherness that followed 9/11, Americans might feel less need to volunteer. But, he said, “there is 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…." He called on every American to give 4,000 hours -- or two years -- in service.
This year, on September 11 and 12, many of us will be in New York to take part in ServiceNation, a gathering of leaders promoting a new era of citizen service. Participants include First Lady Laura Bush, both presidential candidates, Members of Congress, Governors, leaders from national service programs, Board members of the Corporation and members of the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation.
All of us will also mark the day by taking part in a service project organized by myGoodDeed.org. I hope the broader service and volunteering community will join us in supporting the efforts of 9/11 family groups like myGoodDeed.org to observe September 11 as a day for serving others in need. The USA FreedomCorps Volunteer Network, at volunteer.gov, is the place any citizen can go for the most extensive listing of service opportunities right in their community.
September 11 was a terrible day, but it also created an amazing and historically unique groundswell of support for service in America. Service is increasingly regarded as the solution to the tough challenges our nation faces. Young people, Baby Boomers, schools, corporations, social entrepreneurs and others are finding new and exciting ways to serve our communities and our nation.
Thank you for helping further this movement and for making our country stronger and better through citizen service.
In Service,
David Eisner
CEO, Corporation for National and Community Service
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