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 (Washington, D.C.) – Declaring that “volunteering is hip,” rock star Jon Bon Jovi kicked off the 2005 National Conference on Volunteering and Service in Washington with a keynote speech about his philanthropic pursuits.
After recounting the many venues he has appeared at as a rock musician, Bon Jovi told a crowd of more than 2,500 volunteer leaders at the Washington Convention Center, “I’ve done it all. I’ve done it all. But I got more of a rush when I went to the Northern Home for Children in North Philly and said, ‘We built a playground.’ ”
Bon Jovi is majority owner of the Arena Football League team the Philadelphia Soul, which has made helping the local community a cornerstone of its identity. To date, the team has helped to channel more than $400,000 to community groups in the Philadelphia area. In addition, Bon Jovi serves as the liaison to the music world for Samsung’s Four Seasons of Hope charity. He recently performed at the Live 8 concert in Philadelphia, and has pledged to use the money he would have spent on a music video to promote his forthcoming single release to build housing for four families in Philadelphia through the nonprofit group Habitat for Humanity.
“I’m here to applaud all of you who volunteer,” he said. “You don’t need the cameras. You can start a revolution one soul at a time, in your community.”
Co-sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service and the Points of Light Foundation and Volunteer Center National Network, the annual conference is the largest gathering of leaders in the national service and volunteer networks. Through workshops, general sessions, exhibits, “town hall” gatherings, and informal get-togethers, volunteer and national service leaders share information, gain skills, and develop strategies to engage more Americans more effectively in volunteer service to meet pressing social needs.
Other speakers at the Opening General Session on Thursday included ABC News political commentator Cokie Roberts and Robert L. Woodson, founder and president of the National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise. A strong proponent of strategies of self-help and empowerment for more than 25 years, Woodson also received the Lenore and George Romney Citizen Volunteer Award, presented annually by the Points of Light Foundation to individuals who have built and sustained a lifetime of volunteerism and citizenship.
In her remarks, Roberts noted how, thanks to the support of the White House, AmeriCorps and the other programs of the Corporation for National and Community Service last year received more funding and had more participants than at any time in the agency’s 10-year history. “It’s good news because it means the Congress is really beginning sign onto and understand the value of national service.”
The conference 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.
“I think what we're all feeling is the momentum for volunteering and civic engagement that is building in our Nation,” said Corporation CEO David Eisner. Calling the volunteer leaders the “supply line to the armies of compassion,” Eisner challenged the audience to increase the number of American volunteers by 10 million in the next five years.
“The capacity of the volunteering and service movement has grown and matured tremendously in recent years,” noted Robert Goodwin, President and CEO of the Points of Light Foundation. “And it is partnerships at the national level … and partnerships at the grassroots level that create a true momentum fueling service to our communities throughout the nation.”
The Conference will continue through Saturday. Friday’s highlights include a keynote address by businessman David Lauren, corporate award presentations, and a day-long service project in the Shaw neighborhood surrounding the Washington Convention Center, featuring an appearance by U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona. Saturday’s highlights include keynote addresses by Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt and author Mark Victor Hansen.
The National Conference is made possible with the support of a number of sponsors, including the 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, Marriott International, Inc., Nextel, Northrop Grumman, Pitney Bowes, Target Corporation, The Walt Disney Company, 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 http://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 http://www.nationalservice.gov/.
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