By Peter Marcus, DENVER DAILY NEWS
DENVER — Local volunteer organizations hailed President Barack Obama’s call Wednesday for all Americans to stand up and volunteer in their communities.
The president announced the launch of an initiative — that will begin on Monday — that serves to facilitate community service across the country. “United We Serve” challenges all Americans to help dig the country out of fiscal and social woes by engaging in community service.
Great challenges
“The challenges we face are unprecedented in their size and scope, and we cannot rely on quick fixes or easy answers to put us on the road to recovery,” said Obama in a video message distributed Wednesday. “In this new country, we need to build a new foundation for economic growth in America.”
Deborah Brackney, chair of the Metro Volunteers board, praised Obama for encouraging Americans to make volunteerism and community service part of the daily lives of all Americans. The initiative will last through Sept. 11th, the National Day of Service, which was created by the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, signed by the president back in April.
“This is a very unique country in that volunteerism is unusual in other parts of the world,” she said. “So, I think for the president to make a special call out to people who support volunteering efforts, who are already volunteering, and to ask for more volunteers to come forward is terrific.”
Americans are asked this summer to identify needs in their communities, engage in meaningful service to create change, and then stay engaged with those projects even after the initiative ends.
Great need
Serving as a local resource for nonprofit organizations and for corporations to link to volunteers, Metro Volunteers is certainly an authority in the field of volunteerism. Brackney says with the recession, nonprofits need help now more than ever.
“This is a time when we are struggling as a country, and volunteering is something anybody can do,” she said. “So, I think it’s a good thing to say, ‘Here’s a powerful and positive step you can take no matter what condition your life is in.’”
Robert Thompson, spokesman for Mile High United Way, agreed that now is the time for people to get out and serve their communities.
“The need is up,” he said. “So, anything that people can do, whether they donate money, or donate their time and expertise, everything helps — everything helps to put people back on their feet.”
‘United We Serve’
INFORMATION: Serve.gov
Distributed by Colorado Capitol Reporters
