The White House Blog: Service

"Our Obligations to Each Other As Americans": President Obama Welcomes the Wounded Warrior Project's Soldier Ride

This afternoon, the South Lawn of the White House was full of veterans, military families, and their bicycles, as the Wounded Warrior Project's Soldier Ride came to the White House. The Soldier Ride started as a way to help wounded soldiers recover from their injuries through adaptive cycling. Nearly a decade later, the program has expanded to involve civilians as well, raising money for and promoting the cause of America's wounded warriors.

In welcoming the riders, President Obama said a few words about the beginnings of the Soldier Ride effort:

Today is a reminder -- as Michelle and Jill Biden have already said -- that every American, every single person in this country, can do something to support our remarkable troops and their families. Everybody can do something.

So seven years ago, a bartender from Long Island had the same idea. He wasn’t from a military family. He had never served in the military.  But he knew that he owed our military something. He was just an ordinary American who was grateful for the service of all those who wear the uniform. And he said, “I just wanted to give something back.”

So he jumped on his bike and rode across the country -- over 5,000 miles -- to raise funds and awareness for our wounded warriors. Today, there are Soldier Rides all across America giving our wounded warriors the confidence and support they need to recover. That’s the difference a single person can make. Today we want to thank Chris Carney and everyone from the Wounded Warrior Project for reminding us of our obligations to each other as Americans.

Volunteers Prove Essential to Disaster Response

Volunteers help gut homes, aiding in recovery efforts from recent storms. May 4, 2011. (by Corporation for National and Community Service)

Over the past few weeks, a series of devastating tornadoes swept across the country.  From Mississippi to Virginia, communities are suffering great losses.  The Corporation for National and Community Service’s (CNCS) Disaster Services Unit rapidly mobilized thousands of volunteers to assist local recovery efforts.  

Working closely with the State Service Commissions and FEMA, CNCS has built partnerships across public and private sectors to provide critical services to communities in need.  In Kentucky, AmeriCorps members support local Red Cross shelters.  In St. Louis, AmeriCorps Safety Service Corps deployed members to remove trees from roofs and tarp houses to keep out the rain.  Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) and AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) volunteers are providing services such as  checking on the welfare of affected residents, clearing debris, delivering clean water, assisting residents with relocation, distributing donations, organizing sandbag efforts to prevent flooding, transporting elderly residents to medical facilities, and providing case management support.

For Kelly DeGraff, the Senior Advisor for Disaster Services at CNCS, the agency's response to the tornadoes in Mississippi was particularly poignant.  In less than 24 hours after the tornado struck Jackson, MS, CNCS volunteers were on the ground serving affected residents.  A team of six NCCC members from the Southern Region campus in Vicksburg, MS helped to feed residents and distribute supplies.  For nearly a week, team Leader Moses Moua, 23, of Orlando, FL and Corps Member Michael Brown, 20, of Indianapolis, IN provided day and night staffing at the American Red Cross shelter in Clinton, MS.

While working in the shelter, Moua and Brown spent time with Frelicia May and her family of sixteen.  May, her husband, sister, children and grandchildren were painfully familiar with being in a shelter following a storm.  After losing everything during Hurricane Katrina, they had drifted to several places in Louisiana and Texas before settling near her family in Jackson, MS.  On April 15, when the tornado struck May’s new home, she gathered the few things she could salvage and headed to her sister’s two-bedroom apartment.  They quickly realized that the cramped apartment would not provide the large family sufficient space or resources to get back on their feet.

The May family took refuge in the American Red Cross shelter where Moua and Brown welcomed them.  After a few days at the shelter, May spoke affectionately of the NCCC members – “We love them.  They laugh and talk to us and treat us like family.  Michael is really good with the kids.”  In addition to providing the families with basic needs, Brown has been playing tic-tac-toe, basketball, coloring, and reading to the 13 children.

“I can do a lot of things that I couldn’t do before, like build things.  I knew exactly what to do when I got to this shelter because we had training on it,” said Brown.  He said that being an NCCC volunteer has taught him a lot of skills and given him training that he didn’t know he would utilize.  It has also taught him the power of giving back.

Throughout the year, CNCS engages more than 1.5 million Americans of all ages and backgrounds in service.  Senior Corps, AmeriCorps State and National, and the AmeriCorps NCCC volunteers have been particularly active in responding to the recent disasters.  These programs play an essential role assisting communities responding to a disaster.  CNCS volunteer programs provide a great deal of value both to the communities in which they serve and the volunteers themselves. 

For more information, contact the CNCS Disaster Services Unit at DSU@cns.gov.

Public Service Recognition Week

Sunday was the start of Public Service Recognition Week. It’s a time to thank professional public servants - the people behind the scenes. Wherever you live, they are the people who pick up the phone when you call 911, and the police and firefighters who come to your door; the teachers in your schools and the people who maintain your local parks. 

Federal public servants may not always be as visible, but they are in every state as well. They focus on national security and law enforcement tasks like protecting our borders; they pursue criminals who cross state lines and care for our veterans. Others make sure our roads and rails are designed and built safely and that our food and water supply is clean.

Public servants do a million things you may take for granted every day. Since 1985, we’ve taken this week to learn more about what public servants do and show our appreciation. First Lady Michelle Obama wanted to be the first to thank Federal employees. Click below to hear what she has to say.

Growing Green Neighborhoods Through Youth Engagement

Groundwork Somerville teens tending and harvesting a garden and learning about urban agriculture. April 25, 2011. (by Chelsea Clarke, Groundwork Somerville)

In 2010, Chelsea Clarke joined Groundwork Somerville (GWS), a nonprofit that promotes sustainable community development and revitalization in Somerville, MA.  It was a “giant leap of faith,” for the environmental consultant, but it turned out to be the perfect blend of her passions and the incredible investment in her own community she had been yearning.

Clarke began at GWS as a Green Team supervisor.  Green Team is an environmental job corps that employs youth ages 14-17 to learn about and practice environmental stewardship, educate communities on green space issues, and conduct community health outreach.  The youth also maintain the upkeep of school gardens and harvest and sell produce at local farmers’ markets.  Green Team helps youth develop strong interpersonal skills through their team, with their supervisor, and through interactions with farmers’ market customers.  “You can really see them grow over time,” gushes Clarke.  “Just a few weeks ago, we took some of the teens to Philadelphia for the 2011 EPA Brownfields Conference.  It was amazing to see someone who started out as a shy kid get up and present so confidently at a national conference.”

Now a community organizer, Clarke works more extensively within the neighborhood, primarily with the Green Line/Green Spaces Team.  This team concentrates on the planning and use of lands for the extension of the Boston metro system through Somerville, specifically focusing on the project’s affect on urban youth.  Clarke explains that “key issue areas for city youth are surprisingly similar to those of older demographics” – youth are just as concerned with sustainability, transportation affordability, and efficiency as their parents.

Garden Youth Crew gets their hands dirty and learn about urban agriculture in Somerville. April 22, 2011. (by Chelsea Clarke, Groundwork Somerville)

GWS also has programs for younger children as well as the broader community.  The Schoolyard Gardens Program and Garden Youth Crew teach urban kids about their ecosystem and the agricultural practices behind the food they eat.  The Community Corridor Planning program aims to make community planning processes inclusive and advocate for health equity and local jobs.  The Somerville SoilCycle picks up compost for community members and uses the fresh soil from the composting for school gardens.  Finally, the “Spring into Action!” program gives 2nd and 3rd grade Somerville students a chance to spend their spring breaks learning about their environment, participating in outdoor physical activities, and learning to prepare balanced meals.

Groundwork Somerville is part of the national Groundwork USA network, which works to improve neighborhoods that have experienced long-term decline in their physical and social environments.

Share your story about a transformative person or organization in your community!