Thanks, Jim [Kimsey], for that kind introduction. And thank you for all you’re doing to make the D.C. metro area a better place to live. You are setting the gold standard for all of us when it comes to corporate stewardship.

Let me recognize your service in chairing this sixth annual Greater Washington Business Philanthropy Summit. And if you’re as successful in this as you are at helping others, I just know that our area will soon have a major league baseball team.

I’d also like to mention Alex Orfinger, Publisher of the Washington Business Journal, and Siobhan Canty, President of Greater DC Cares who are hosting this year’s summit. Thank you for your service.

Alexis de Tocqueville understood Americans and his observation holds up well: "When an American asks for the cooperation of his fellow citizens, it is seldom refused; and I have often seen it afforded spontaneously and with great good will."

We find the same openness and generosity around us today. There is a powerful spirit of American service that runs like a thread through the fabric of our society, strengthening us, holding us together, and guiding us to create a society that is worthy of our founding principles.

It is the calling to serve a purpose greater than ourselves. It is the recognition that we must pull-in and lift-up those struggling on society’s fringes. It’s the commitment to pledge our passion, our time, and our skills to build a worthier community. Thank you for heeding the call, recognizing the need, and committing the time to join this effort. I salute your service to this community and the example you’re setting for the people working within your companies.

Each of us felt the events of September eleventh in a unique way but all of us were strengthened by America’s collective response, compassion, and love of country that have always defined American patriotism.

When the sun went down our world was different. The 9/11 attacks were intended to destroy our spirit and resolve. They failed. From adversity we drew strength.

The timeless bonds that unite us grew stronger. Americans are now more caring, cohesive, and committed to the defensive of freedom. This depth of feeling is a great reservoir of compassionate action and service. To realizing our full potential, we must tap this energy and put it to work. Our challenge is to engage our fellow citizens in the noble commission of building a society that equips every American with the skills, opportunity, and conviction to chase their dreams.

Every American won’t walk on the moon, hit a home run during the World Series, or discover the entrepreneurial vision to build a company like AOL, but there is an opportunity for every American to lead a life of meaning, and purpose, and conviction.
President Bush pointed us all in this direction by forcefully articulating the need for every American to serve the interests of others. He called on every American to dedicate at least two years of their lives to serving others.

He created the USA Freedom Corps to help all Americans answer his timeless call to service and to foster a culture of service, citizenship and responsibility throughout America’s communities for decades to come. President Bush included all of us because we can all do something. And the greater Washington business community is answering that calling by striving to improve the coordination of our philanthropic efforts.

In large measure, the transition from achieving a good to great tradition of philanthropy here in Washington begins with the need to focus our talents on the problems within our community.
As corporate leaders, we all need to seek opportunities to deliver resources and support philanthropic needs in the community. We can’t wait for the next tragedy to focus, apply, and coordinate our efforts.

On 9/11, our region came together in a dramatic way. We learn from Greater DC Cares that companies were quick to offer support by organizing and coordinating the flood of volunteers who offered to pitch in. WebMethods built an online registration system overnight. Cisco Systems helped sift through the volunteers. And other organizations helped Greater DC Cares match-up the volunteers with outstanding needs. This effort demonstrated the depth of our potential.

There is also an excellent baseline commitment to service in our community. The Mortgage Bankers Association mentors children in an after school program. Kathryn Verstandig has worked with a third grader named Johniece since last August. Johniece lives with her grandmother and several brothers and sisters. She prizes the time she spends with Kathryn because it is a rare hour of one-one-one attention. Kathryn is the guiding light to a better life.

We need to bring hope to the lonely one child at a time. Kathryn is reaching out to a child in need, she’s changing a life and we salute her commitment.

A great many other people are stepping forward. During AOL’s last Days of Service program over 400 volunteers served 47 different organizations.

Starting today, we must work in concert with Washington’s non-profit and philanthropic groups to identify critical needs and attack the most urgent problems. The challenge this audience should accept is to so elevate the performance of our philanthropic efforts, that Washington, D.C. becomes the benchmark for corporate community investing. Later, you’re going to breakout into smaller groups to identify the specific steps to move forward. I hope you’ll all throw yourselves into that effort.

Let me give two examples of actions the Bush Administration is taking to focus resources to achieve the most effective results.

I’m passionate about both of these initiatives because they represent my work on corporate stewardship and President Bush’s vision for transforming volunteerism.

Business Strengthening America [BSA] is a peer-to-peer effort that engages business leaders in a campaign to encourage civic engagement. It is a response to the President’s call to service.

These companies share a core belief: an increased commitment to volunteering and civic responsibility builds a stronger society and will enable businesses to “do well by doing good” because it deepens employee, consumer and shareholder relationships.

I’m thrilled to report that BSA has already grown to include over 300 companies. I hope that those of you who aren’t yet members will strongly consider joining this effort. The materials you need to join are here. Let me tell you about another exciting program.

The Digital Freedom Initiative (DFI) places volunteers in small businesses located in U.S. allies in the developing world. DFI, which will be piloted this July in Senegal, has three key elements.
It shares business knowledge and technology expertise. It promotes pro-growth regulatory and legal structures to enhance competitiveness.

And it leverages the technology and communications infrastructure in new ways to help small businesses and entrepreneurs compete

This support is coming in large part because US companies are looking for new ways to do business in emerging markets. Hewlett Packard is a major supporter of the DFI, and it fits the vision of CEO, Carly Fiorina. At the DFI launch event, Carly told us that HP products currently reach about 10% of the world's population.

Imagine the impact on business if that increases to 12% or 15% or even 20%. Imagine also the enormous impact upon the quality of life for people in the developing world if they gained access to the best that America has to offer. We can make an extraordinary impact on billions of people if we can help them uplift their lives and strengthen their societies.

There’s also no charting the phenomenal market growth that will certainly come by doing business and building relationships in places like Senegal. Opening and building markets is more than philanthropy--it’s good business.

It is a capitalism that recognizes that free markets are not only the right answer economically, they are also essential to building a safer and more secure world. As stewards of “democratic capitalism”, you have a great responsibility to your companies, your shareholders, your employees and your communities. You are just as much guardians of the dream that the United States represents as any of us in government.

As we look around the world at the grief, the hunger, and strife, we cannot ignore our calling to answer the hopes and dreams of the billions of people who languish under conditions so harsh that they are painful even to imagine.

There are six billion people in the world, and three billion must struggle to get by on less than two dollars a day. We would be something less than Americans if we did not foster the ideas that can help fellow man rise above poverty. We must heed this inner guidance to serve others.

I’ve visited most of this country and I’ve seen a good deal of the world. The thing that truly stands out is the common face of human aspirations.

Everywhere I go, the men and women I meet all seek the same things. They hunger for the blessings that freedom offers. They want food for their families. They want a roof over their heads. They want an education for their children. And we all want to raise our families in peace and security.

There’s too much poverty, too much despair. There’s not enough hope, not enough opportunity in too many parts of the world. That’s not right, and that’s not good. We have a responsibility to do something about it.

This point was driven home to me during my trip to Africa. Every night I leave a clean desk behind me—with one exception. It’s the last thing I see every night and the first thing I see each morning.

It’s a news story. It found its way into my heart when I was traveling through Africa because it drove the tragic human costs of poverty home to me in a way that I haven’t forgotten and will never forget.

This news article told the story of a mother who had lost her grip on hope.

Out of hardship and desperation, she was offering one of her children for sale to feed her other children. My friends, no one in this world should ever, ever be forced to make a horrible decision like this.

President Bush and I both believe that every person is born with the right to pursue their dreams, to build a life, and to pursue happiness under the dictates of their heart.

As I travel, I’m always asked, “How is it that America has done so much in just 200 years?”
I tell people our achievements are grounded in our freedoms, our free enterprise capitalistic system and our faith.

Our freedoms: Freedom of speech, right to assembly, religion, press, and, yes, the freedom to pursue excellence.

Our free enterprise system that creates an environment of competition, which leads to innovation, which leads to higher productivity, which leads to economic growth, which leads to a higher standard of living, leading to a higher quality of life.

And our faith because Americans are honest people who place a high value on trust and the integrity of a person’s word. I came to Washington with President Bush to leave the world more secure, more peaceful, and more prosperous than we found it.

Despite the challenges, I’m optimistic. I see great things ahead for our country and the world.
We have the power to make a difference. As Americans, we must be the emissaries of hope and the exporters of freedom.

If we heed this calling, no one can predict the new hope we’ll introduce into the lives of people who struggle simply to survive. That’s a big mission and a tough assignment but Americans should settle for nothing less.

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