Remarks to Americorps Volunteers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania October 11, 2000
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
2440 Oct. 11 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2000 Thank you, and God bless you. It is quite appropriate for us to meet in Philadelphia to reaffirm our commitment to NOTE: The President spoke at 12:25 p.m. in Room national service, not only because of the ex- S±2 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. In his remarks, he referred to Representative traordinary effort made by the State of Penn- Klink's children, Juliana and Matthew; State Sen- sylvania and this great city to have a dis- ator Leonard J. Bodack; Mayor Tom Murphy of proportionate number of young people in- Pittsburgh; Catherine Baker Knoll, candidate for volved in community service through State treasurer; Sophie Masloff, former mayor of AmeriCorps programs but also because it was Pittsburgh; former Pittsburgh Steelers running here that our Founders declared our inde- back Franco Harris; and Republican Presidential pendence and, in so doing, expressed a com- candidate Gov. George W. Bush. Representative mitment not only to the individual liberty and Klink is a candidate for the U.S. Senate from Pennsylvania. independence of all of us alone but said that we could only fulfill our own desires and our own personal dreams if we committed our- Remarks to AmeriCorps Volunteers selves to forming ``a more perfect Union.'' in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Every day you work, every person you October 11, 2000 help, you help America become that more perfect Union of our Founders' dreams. Let's give Ardelia another hand. [Ap- All across the country, AmeriCorps volun- plause] She was great, wasn't she? I thought teers are serving as a catalyst for community she was great. Good job. action. Studies show that every one of you I also want to say to all of you how grateful generates on average a dozen more volun- I am to be here and how grateful I am to teers, and that adds up. Over the past 6 years, Pennsylvania's own Harris Wofford for doing not only have over 150,000 young Americans such a great job in heading our Corporation served in their communities in for National Service. He's worked in the AmeriCorpsÐand, I might add, we had more Peace Corps and AmeriCorps. He's worked AmeriCorps volunteers in 5 years than the for Presidents from Kennedy to Clinton. He Peace Corps did in its first 20Ðyou are really worked with Martin Luther King, and he's moving to change America. But even more still helping people walk their road to free- than thatÐlisten to thisÐAmeriCorps mem- dom. Thank you, Senator Harris Wofford, for bers have recruited, trained, or supervised everything you have done. more than 2.5 million volunteers in commu- Eight years ago about this time, I was nity projects. crossing the country with Vice President Gore, talking about all the ideas I had to try In Pennsylvania, older volunteers for the to change our Nation, if the people would National Senior Service Corps serve as foster vote for me for President. Eight years later, grandparents to 9,000 children. Thousands of one of the ideas that always got an applause RSVP volunteers are passing on their wisdom line on the stump, national service, giving to a younger generation. In Philadelphia, young people a chance to serve their coun- nearly a thousand AmeriCorps members tries in their communities and giving them have been working with local organizations, some funds so they could further their edu- running after-school programs, restoring cation, it is reality. You are that reality, and parts, helping Habitat for Humanity to build you have changed America for the better. I homes, bridging the digital divide in poor am very, very grateful to all of you for that. communities and poor schools, engaging Today, people who wonder what national other young people in community service. service is can hear it in the swing of a hun- We know now from experience that when dred hammers helping families to build young people volunteer in their commu- homes, see it in the sight of a thousand sap- nities, they're less likely to get in trouble and lings taking root on a charred mountainside, much more likely to succeed in school. That's burned in a fire, and hear the sound of a why the work of AmeriCorps volunteers with million children learning to read. You get our young people, helping them to succeed, things done, and I thank you for that. is perhaps our most important mission. Administration of William J. Clinton, 2000 / Oct. 11 2441 In 1996 I issued the America Reads chal- So we actually have some objective evi- lenge. I asked AmeriCorps and college stu- dence that the enthusiasm that you all dis- dents across our country to join in a crusade played when Harris called each of your for childhood literacy, to make sure that projects and you stood up and cheered actu- every 8-year-old in our country could readÐ ally is making a difference, a positive dif- read well before being promoted. Thanks to ference in the lives of individual Americans AmeriCorps members like Ardelia, hundreds and, in so doing I might add, bringing us of thousands of children have now been tu- together across lines that divide us. tored, mentored, or enrolled in after-school One of the most important things about programs, and 1,000 colleges have given us AmeriCorps I think is that it gives the volun- their students to help go into our elementary teers, who come from all different back- schools to help teach our kids to read. Thank grounds, all different races, all different reli- you very, very, very much. gious backgrounds, a chance to meet and In a profoundly inspiring effort, members work with and get to know people who are of the National School and Community different from them, to tear down barriers Corps, CityYear, VISTA, and AmeriCorps of distrust and misunderstanding and old- have helped Philadelphia schools expand fashioned ignorance, and build a genuine their pioneering program for student service. American community. As part of this initiative, 11th and 12th grad- You know, I think it's a great thing that ers are trained to tutor second graders one- America is so diverse and growing more di- on-one in after-school reading programs. The verse. It makes it more interesting. But it's students that do the tutoring say they learn also important to recognize that, as we cele- brate our differences, we have to reaffirm just as much as the youngsters they teach. our common humanity. You look anywhere What I'd like to see is to have this done in the world today where they're having trou- in every school system in America. I think ble, and chances are they can celebrate their if all the juniors and seniors in America were differences, but they're having trouble af- committed to making sure all the second firming their common humanity, and mis- graders in America could read by the time understanding occurs. they got out of the second grade, it would If America wants to be a force for good revolutionize education in America. That is and peace and freedom in all these places the symbol that Philadelphia represents to we see todayÐfrom the Middle East to our future. Northern Ireland to the Balkans to Africa Today I'm releasing an independent study where they're having tribal conflictsÐwe that shows that these efforts are working. have to first be good at home. You are help- Over the past school year, AmeriCorps mem- ing us to be good at home and do the right bers served in programs tutoring more than thing. 100,000 students in grades one through So it turns out this idea that was just sort three. Sample tests given at the beginning of an applause line in my '92 campaign and the end of the school year showed that speech, it was a pretty good idea after all. children's reading skills in the programs [Laughter] You proved it. We know it works. where the AmeriCorps volunteers tutored We have made it completely nonpartisan. improved significantly and exceeded signifi- We've tried to take it completely out of the cantly expectations. normal day-to-day arguments of American In one case, an AmeriCorps member in politics, because it seems to be, as Harris Atlanta set out to recruit eight college stu- said, the quintessential American idea. dents to tutor struggling kids 4 hours a week. That's why it is so important that the Con- Today, that program has 250 volunteers in gress this year rise above politics and reau- 30 schools. Seventy percent of the second thorize the Corporation for National Service and third graders participating in the pro- with the necessary funding for a robust gram have increased their test scoresÐlisten AmeriCorps. to thisÐby at least two reading levels, two We've succeeded out in the country, as you grade levels. heard Senator Wofford say. We have a letter 2442 Oct. 11 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2000 from 49 of the Nation's 50 Governors. That's I have to swear in the newest AmeriCorps 98 percent. You don't get 98 percent of peo- class in the United States. So I want them ple agreeing on anything. So we've got 98 to stand up, all the new class. Stand up, percent of the Governors saying, ``Please re- please, all the new class, people who have authorize AmeriCorps.'' Governor Ridge says not been sworn in. Anybody that has not it's a vital resource because you get things been sworn in, stand up.