Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 124.djvu/4639

 124 STAT. 4613 PROCLAMATION 8500—APR. 16, 2010 This week, we recognize their enduring contributions and encourage more Americans, especially our youth, to join their ranks. Today’s vast challenges require a renewed commitment to service, and Americans are answering that call. From mentoring a student and feed- ing the homeless, to rebuilding after a natural disaster, volunteers are touching lives every day. Social entrepreneurs are pioneering innova- tive approaches to community service, and technology is providing us with new ways to connect with one another. Public-private partner- ships are also expanding the scope and effectiveness of volunteerism. My Administration is committed to ushering in a new era of service and responsibility. We launched United We Serve, a nationwide initia- tive to encourage all Americans to make service a part of their daily lives. The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, which I signed last year, has expanded and updated programs at the Corporation for Na- tional and Community Service, harnessing the energy of millions to meet our most pressing national challenges. We are also investing in social innovation and volunteer management to give community groups the capacity to tackle local concerns. During National Volunteer Week, we honor the ordinary people who give of themselves to accomplish extraordinary things, and we encour- age more Americans to strengthen our country by volunteering. Visit Serve.gov to find volunteer opportunities across America and resources to start your own project. This website highlights volunteer opportuni- ties for Americans of all ages, and I especially hope our young people will be inspired to chart a course of service. Whether through the workplace or a house of worship, in our own neighborhoods or in another state or country, service binds us together as Americans in a way nothing else can. It defines us as a people, and it is essential to achieving our national priorities. Together, let us an- swer the call, take hold of our shared future, and meet the challenges of our new century. NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Con- stitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 18 through April 24, 2010, as National Volunteer Week. I call upon all Americans to observe this week by volunteering in service projects across our country and pledging to make service a part of their daily lives. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this sixteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Inde- pendence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty- fourth. BARACK OBAMA