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| HELPING HANDS
April 28, 1997TRANSCRIPT |
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At the Volunteer Summit in Philadelphia Monday, President Clinton and former Presidents Bush and Ford signed a pact called "America's Promise" which will help disadvantaged children through mentoring programs and community service. After a background report on the event, Summit Chairman retired General Colin Powell talks with Elizabeth Farnsworth about how volunteering can change lives.
JIM LEHRER: The President's summit in Philadelphia is our lead story tonight. President Clinton, former Presidents Bush, Ford, and Carter, along with former First Lady Nancy Reagan, urged Americans to volunteer to help at-risk youth. Our coverage begins with their remarks this morning. President Carter spoke by satellite.
A RealAudio version of of this segment is available.
Colin Powell talks about volunteering in America and how it can make a difference.
External Links:
The Presidents' Summit for America's Future Web page.
President Jimmy Carter's involvement with the non-profit housing organization Habitat for Humanity.
NewsHour Links:
August 12, 1996
General Colin Powell speaks before the Republican National Convention.
August 13, 1996
GOP Delegates discuss General Powell in an Online NewsHour forum during the Republican National Convention.
August 27, 1996
Hillary Rodham Clinton discusses the importance of volunteerism at the Democratic National Convention.
FORMER PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER: This summit can be the beginning of a renewed commitment to our children, but the real revolution will take place only if we carry this new spirit of Philadelphia back to our own neighborhoods and turned it into action. The divisions between those of us who have many opportunities and those who feel they have none are growing deeper.
Children are dying in body and spirit. I urge you to reach out from the safety and security of your life and extend a helping hand to someone who really knows only fear. Hand in hand we can create a network that will ensure that our children will do more than just survive. They will thrive.
FORMER PRESIDENT GERALD FORD: Sadly, every day the news media reports a growing number of broken homes, inadequate single family problems, drug problems, rampant in our schools and on our streets, with gang warfare loose in metropolitan communities. Should we surrender? Should we capitulate to the worst elements and the challenges in our society? The answer is emphatically no.
FORMER PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH: I believe that the key to the American dream is education. And at the most basic level it gets down to one "r," reading. Barbara and I are deeply troubled to know that 2300 teenagers drop out of school every day. And this is more than a terrible loss to America. It's an epidemic. It just seems wrong that 6 ½ million American kids between kindergarten and the third grade are growing up illiterate. Something's gone wrong. But I am thankful that something right is starting to happen at this summit because Americans are starting to take upon themselves to point our kids in the right direction on the road that leads to the American dream.
FORMER FIRST LADY NANCY REAGAN: Ronald is such a caring person. He's always been moved by human kindness, so for him and for me I ask a special favor of everyone watching or listening today, from this day forward when someone asks you to help a child, just say yes. (Applause) Thank you.
PRESIDENT CLINTON: You and I know that a lot of the problems facing our children are problems of the human heart, problems that can only be resolved when there is a one-on-one connection, community by community, neighborhood by neighborhood, street by street, home by home with every child in this country entitled to live out their God given destiny. You know it is true.
As I have said repeatedly, the era of big government may be over, but the era of big challenges for our country is not, and so we need an era of big citizenship. That is why we are here, and that is what we should promise ourselves we will do.
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