Conference Aims to Increase Scope and Impact of Nation’s Volunteer Efforts

(Washington, D.C.) - More than 2,500 volunteer and national service leaders will gather in Washington August 4-6 for the 2005 National Conference on Volunteering and Service. Their aim: to gain skills and develop strategies to engage more Americans more effectively in volunteer service to meet pressing social needs.

The conference, the largest gathering of volunteer leaders in the nation, comes at a time of increasing rates of volunteering and growing recognition of the value of America’s volunteers. Last year 64.5 million Americans volunteered - an increase of nearly 5 million since 2002 - and they provided an estimated $272 billion in services.

Keynote speakers represent a variety of sectors and include award-winning political commentator Cokie Roberts, Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, rock superstar Jon Bon Jovi, Polo Ralph Lauren executive David Lauren, National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise president Robert L. Woodson, Sr., author Mark Victor Hansen, and former Washington Redskin Darrel Green. A press schedule with conference highlights is at the end of this release.

The theme of the three-day event, convened by the Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network and the Corporation for National and Community Service, is, “Serve Communities. Solve Problems. Strengthen America.”

“When people volunteer, good things happen - those who receive the services are helped, those who provide the services are bettered, and our communities are enriched,” said Robert K. Goodwin, president and CEO of the Points of Light Foundation. “Volunteering is an essential complement to services provided by our government and large private organizations.”

“With support for volunteering and service at its highest level ever, together we can seize the momentum and build a culture of service and a nation of volunteers," said David Eisner, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. “The leaders coming to this conference are the supply line for America’s armies of compassion, and we hope this conference will strengthen their reach and impact.”

Attendees include leaders from Volunteer Centers, AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and Learn and Serve America programs; businesses, nonprofits, and governor-appointed state service commissions. The nation’s capital offers a unique backdrop for the conference, a reminder that while volunteering operates largely on the community level, it contributes to the national agenda and goals of service, civic engagement, and citizenship.

In conjunction with the conference, more than 400 volunteers from the D.C. metropolitan area and Surgeon General Richard Carmona will participate in a variety of service projects focused on healthy lifestyles and good nutrition and benefiting organizations within the Shaw community, the neighborhood surrounding the Washington Convention Center.

The National Conference is made possible with the support of a number of sponsors, including our leadership partner, UPS Foundation. Other major sponsors include Accenture, Anheuser-Busch Companies, AT&T, Business Strengthening America, The Steven Case Foundation, Deloitte & Touche USA LLP, The Home Depot, KPMG, The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation, Nextel, Northrup Grumman, Pitney Bowes, Target Corporation, The Walt Disney Company, and The Washington Times, and numerous other sponsors.

The Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network, a nonpartisan and nonprofit organization, supports and organizes the vital work of community volunteers who help solve our nation’s most serious social problems by bringing people and resources together. The Foundation builds knowledge, skills and programs for volunteer leaders and volunteers to succeed, and provides leadership to mobilize volunteers in thousands of local communities across the country. For more information, call 202-729-8000 or visit www.pointsoflight.org.

The Corporation for National and Community Service provides opportunities for Americans of all ages and backgrounds to serve their communities and countries through three programs: Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America. Together with USA Freedom Corps, the Corporation is working to foster a culture of citizenship, service, and responsibility, and to help all Americans answer the President’s Call to Service. For more information, call 202-606-5000 or visit www.nationalservice.gov.

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