Tuesday, April 29, 2008 - East Room of The White House
One of the great joys for Laura and me as we travel is to be able to see ordinary citizens from the United States helping save babies’ lives as a result of the Malaria Initiative or working with orphans who have been left alone because of HIV/AIDS. And also it’s a chance for us to really run into one of the great organizations that government has sponsored. It’s called the Peace Corps.
Forty-seven years ago, President John F. Kennedy in the Rose Garden sent the first team of Peace Corps volunteers to Africa. And in the intervening years, more than 190,000 Peace Corps volunteers have carried our country’s great spirit of generosity and compassion throughout the world.
Laura and I met with Peace Corps volunteers in Ghana recently, and they are some kind of fired up. (Laughter.) Matter of fact, it is exciting to be with those good souls who are motivated to go help, and in so doing it really is the best foreign policy America could possibly have.
And today I just had my picture taken with a group of spirited volunteers — (laughter) — who are headed to Guatemala. And I thank you all for your service, and I’m glad you’re here, and thanks for coming. (Applause.)
I believe strongly in the admonition, “To whom much is given, much is required.” Those of you here today are living up to that noble calling. And you carry on the best traditions of American citizenship. In my first inaugural address, I said it’s important to be a citizen, not a spectator. And there’s no better way to be a citizen [than] to be a soldier in the armies of compassion, a foot soldier.
And so today we commemorate your work and the work of volunteers all across the country here at the White House. I appreciate the lasting legacy that you’ve helped create in the hearts of our fellow citizens. I thank you for what you do. And I ask for God’s blessings on your work. Thanks for coming. (Applause.)
Click here for complete remarks from President Bush’s National Volunteer Week 2008 event.
