New Members Wuerffel, Perdew and Turner Take Oath of Office

The President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation presented Leadership Awards to three organizations in honor of their commitment to volunteering and recognized the ongoing efforts of volunteers responding to Hurricane Katrina, during the Council’s October 12 meeting on Capitol Hill.

Council chair Jean Case opened the meeting by pledging the Council’s support for the national effort led by the Corporation for National and Community Service to increase the number of volunteers by 10 million by 2010. “The Council will place particular emphasis this year on engaging more young people in service. We know that adults are twice as likely to volunteer if they first volunteered as young people, and that volunteering builds a stronger citizenry.”

The Council approved a resolution, offered by Daniel C. Wuerffel, a former NFL football player who now is executive director of the Desire Street Ministries in New Orleans. Recognizing the great impact that volunteers have had on recovery efforts since Hurricane Katrina struck, the Council resolved to honor those individuals who have devoted “an extraordinary amount of time in service with the President’s Volunteer Service Award,” and re-affirmed its commitment to “supporting the volunteer response to the needs of the hurricane-ravaged communities of the Gulf Coast region.” Council members familiarized themselves with the volunteer efforts during a tour of New Orleans and other hurricane-affected areas on the first anniversary of the hurricane.

The Council recognized three Leadership Organizations—Girls Scouts of the USA, Lockheed Martin, and the Department of Veterans Affairs—for their commitment to providing volunteer opportunities both for their employees and for those they serve, and for recognizing volunteer efforts by presenting the President’s Volunteer Service Award. The three organizations are among the 16,500 organizations that are certified to present the awards. Thus far, nearly 500,000 volunteers have received the award.

The Council also welcomed three new members, who were sworn in by White House Council Harriet E. Miers: actress Janine Turner and Kelly Perdew, who was the winner on the second season of The Apprentice, along with Wuerffel. Adrienne Piazza, who has volunteered with the National Service Partnership for the last six years, received a President’s Volunteer Service Award from Case.

In other business, a three-member panel shared ideas for improving community service. Kirsten Lodal, co-founder and executive director of the National Student Partnership, said that greater emphasis is needed on the results of service rather than on inputs such as the number of hours volunteers serve. Kelita Bak, vice president of government relations for Camp Fire USA, stressed that “service must be taught at an early age.” Engaging children in service-learning will have impacts on their community involvement and citizenship throughout their lives, she said. A third panelist, Kenny Holdsman of the Academy for Educational Development, suggested that service should have a greater social justice component. This method will help students “look at the root causes of situations,” such as hunger.

Prior to their public meeting, Council members spent the previous day touring the Washington City Year program, a Citizens Corps demonstration, and Kid Power-DC to learn about the programs, meet and interact with the volunteers, and recognize selected individuals with the President’s Volunteer Service Award. The recipients were Calvin Hawkins for his service with the Citizen Corps, Prince Georges County, Maryland, and Gary Chapell of Kid Power.

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The 25-member President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation was given a charge by President Bush to promote an ethic of service and to recognize the millions of Americans who are giving back to their communities through generous acts of service. To date, more than 16,500 organizations are part of the Council’s network, and together they have honored nearly 500,000 of America’s volunteers with the President’s Volunteer Service Award. Administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, together with the USA Freedom Corps, the Council brings together leaders from the worlds of business, entertainment, sports, education, government, nonprofits, and the media to promote their efforts. To learn more about the Council, its members, and the President’s Volunteer Service Award Program please visit http://www.usafreedomcorps.gov/council.

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