Presidential Documents

20293

Federal Register

Vol. 63, No. 78

Thursday, April 23, 1998

Title 3—

The President

Proclamation 7085 of April 21, 1998

National Volunteer Week, 1998

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Volunteers enrich our lives every day with their generosity and compassion.

In recent months, we have witnessed the extraordinary response of America’s

volunteers to the plight of those who have suffered from the severe weather

plaguing much of our country. In communities devastated by mud slides,

ice storms, flash floods, or tornadoes, volunteers have opened their hearts

and homes to offer shelter, hot meals, building materials, and—most important—the hope and support that people desperately need to begin putting

their lives back together. This spirit of citizen service has deep and strong

roots in America’s past, and by nurturing this spirit we can help to ensure

a better future for our Nation.

Just one year ago, at the Presidents’ Summit for America’s Future in Philadelphia, I called on all Americans to dedicate their volunteer efforts to the

well-being of our children and to make the social and educational development of our youngest citizens a national priority. Thousands of individuals

and organizations across America pledged their support for this effort; and

today, we can be proud that more than 93 million Americans are regularly

volunteering to help hundreds of thousands of children in need, serving

as leaders, mentors, tutors, and companions. Through their hard work and

generous response, this growing army of volunteers is making our streets

safer, our schools better, our children healthier, and our future brighter.

We must not only preserve this remarkable spirit of citizen service, but

also expand it. By emulating our Nation’s many unsung heroes—from the

12-year-old in California who distributed dolls to disadvantaged children,

to the businessman in New York who created one of our country’s first

school-to-work programs—we must strive together to build a society free

from crime, poverty, illiteracy, and hopelessness. And by making citizen

service the shared experience of all Americans, we can build a sense of

common responsibility for our future.

This week and throughout the year, let us salute all those who devote

their time and talents to the betterment of our communities and the wellbeing of our children. Let us honor the work of the thousands of voluntary,

civic, religious, school, and neighborhood groups across our Nation who

do so much to serve their fellow Americans and improve the quality of

life for us all. Let us also recognize and support the efforts of the Corporation

for National Service and its programs—AmeriCorps, Learn and Serve America, and the National Senior Service Corps—as well as all the organizations,

communities, and individuals who have responded to the Presidents’ Summit

call to action and are following through on the work begun there.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States

of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution

and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 19 through April

25, 1998, as National Volunteer Week. I call upon all Americans to observe

this week with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities to express

appreciation to the countless volunteers among us for their commitment

to service and to encourage the spirit of volunteerism in our families and

communities.
20294 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 78 /Thursday, April 23, 1998 / Presidential Documents

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-first

day of April, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-eight,

and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred

[FR Doc. 98–11024

Filed 4–22–98; 8:45 am]

Billing code 3195–01–P

and twenty-second.

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