President Clinton Joins NYLC in Celebrating the Legacy of National Service

On March 23, 2006, former President Bill Clinton joined an estimated 2,800 participants at The 17th Annual National Service-Learning Conference to celebrate service-learning and honor former Sen. Harris Wofford. Speaking at the We the People Gala, the president noted that the national- and community-service movement has given private citizens more "power to do good" than they've had at any time in history.

"I worry about global warming. I worry about [the] growing inequality of wealth. I worry about spending too much for health care and getting too little. I worry about a lot of things," the president said. "As long as the people of this country are willing to take responsibility for their future — when they vote, when they contribute their money … and when they are community servants — we will be fine."

He lauded the accomplishments of the service-learning movement and Learn and Serve America, a program threatened by cuts in the Bush Administration's budget proposal. "This movement, I hope, will sweep the world," he said. "I hope we can convince Congress not to cut the budget."

The event, held at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, marked the 100th anniversary of philosopher William James' speech on civic service as the "moral equivalent of war," often cited as the foundation for nonmilitary national service. Clinton was joined in addressing the gathering by Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell, former Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, and Wofford. The event closed with Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul, and Mary) leading the crowd in singing "Happy Birthday" to Wofford, who had recently turned 80.

Prior to Clinton's address, Harris Wofford and Kathleen Kennedy Townsend were honored at a special reception, Wofford with the inaugural William James National Service Lifetime Achievement Award and Townsend with the Alec Dickson Servant Leader Award.

In a letter praising Wofford, Corporation for National and Community Service CEO David Eisner, who was unable to attend in person, wrote: "No other American has done more to promote the cause of youth and civic service." Indeed, Wofford has been central to every major effort to advance civic service in the United States during the past five decades, including his early work in the civil rights movement with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the founding of the Peace Corps. More recently, he has played a key role in crafting and passing the trailblazing legislation that created AmeriCorps, the Learn and Serve America program, and the Corporation for National and Community Service. Following Wofford's Senate tenure, President Clinton appointed him CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, a role he filled from 1995 to 2001. Eisner's praise was echoed in testimonials from Youth Service America President and CEO Steve Culbertson, City Year CEO Alan Khazei, Campus Compact Executive Director Elizabeth Hollander, and Points of Light Foundation President and CEO Bob Goodwin.

Townsend — the eldest child of Robert and Ethel Kennedy, and founder and director of Maryland Student Service Alliance — led the fight that made Maryland the first state to require community service for high school graduation. She also served as the state's first female lieutenant governor and was deputy assistant attorney general of the United States. The Alec Dickson Servant Leader Award is given annually to honor exemplary leaders who have inspired the service-learning field, positively affected the lives of young people, and motivated others to take up the banner of service.