| |
Give
Back During National Volunteer Week
By Rep. Herseth Sandlin
April 25, 2008
Volunteers play a critical role in building a stronger nation, from
helping our children succeed in school to rebuilding cities and towns
in times of disaster. This year, National Volunteer Week is April 27th-May
3rd in recognition of the contributions made by one of America’s most
important resources, our volunteers. This week will highlight the importance
of volunteers in making our communities, our country and our world a
better place to live.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Labor reported that approximately
61 million Americans or 25% of the population volunteered their time
and skills in 2007. As a state, South Dakota has the ninth highest overall
volunteer rate in the nation according to a report issued by the Corporation
for National and Community Service with 210,000 South Dakotan dedicating
24.5 millions hours of service in 2006. In addition to the 210,000 South
Dakotans volunteering in 2006, over 21,000 people participated informally
by working with their neighbors to improve the community. Whether these
volunteers felt a sense of pride in their community or simply wanted
to give back, the spirit of volunteerism in our state is strong and
certainly something we can be proud of.
To emphasize the importance of volunteering and recognize the contributions
of the large number of individuals who give of themselves, National
Volunteer Week was created in 1974 when President Richard Nixon signed
an executive order to establish the week as an annual celebration of
volunteering. And every year since that time, each U.S. President, along
with many governors, mayors and other elected officials, has signed
a proclamation promoting National Volunteer Week.
Additionally, Congress is workingto take action this year to provide
important service organizations with the support and resources they
need to effectively organize volunteers and place them in the locations
where they are most needed. In March, the full House considered the
Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act or the GIVE
Act. This legislation would have strengthened and reauthorized our nation’s
service programs and taken volunteerism into the 21st century by promoting
the recruitment of disadvantaged youth, baby-boomers, and veterans into
national and community service opportunities with the goal of increasing
by 25% the number of AmeriCorps volunteers and by fostering a sense
of civic engagement for youth in grades 5-12 by providing supervised
and constructive service participation for young people in their communities.
This legislation also would have strengthened disaster and emergency
preparedness by encouraging collaborative efforts at the national, state,
and local level to provide disaster relief services, by supporting the
efforts of the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) to increase
the program’s effectiveness and by establishing a “Reserve Corps” of
AmeriCorps alumni ready for deployment in times of national need.
This bill was unanimously voted out of the Education and Labor Committee
and is supported by the White House. However, as the bill came under
consideration by the full House, I was disappointed that it was derailed
due to some unrelated procedural motions that were raised for partisan
reasons. Employing these tactics to derail popular legislation that
supports the work of volunteers is not in the best interests of the
country and does not move us any closer to meeting our policy goals.
I am still hopeful, however, that we will reconsider this important
bill and make the changes needed to support current volunteers and encourage
a new generation of volunteers who seek to serve.
Although Congress has not passed this legislation this year, volunteering
opportunities abound and with National Volunteer week quickly approaching,
I would like to encourage South Dakotans who are new to volunteering
to give it a try. No matter the size of your community, your age or
the skills you possess, there are always ways to help out. As part of
National Volunteer Week, I will be at The Banquet in Sioux Falls along
with other volunteers to help prepare a meal that will be served to
individuals and families in need that evening. I look forward to celebrating
the work of volunteers next week and I hope that South Dakotans will
take time to volunteer and give a heart-felt thank you to the volunteers
who enrich their lives and their communities.
|
