Alert

You need to know this!
by Charlie Leck

I’ve just been steered to a blog called PROGRESSIVEXCHANGE. I think it’s good stuff. I just want to alert you to it. Today, on that blog, Ann Sanner (an AP writer) jogs our conscience about something of which we must be reminded again and again.

”WASHINGTON – Tens of thousands of Americans, from teenagers to baby boomers, soon will get a fresh chance to lend a helping hand in a time of need.

The House voted 275-149 Tuesday for a $5.7 billion bill that triples positions in
the Clinton-era AmeriCorps program, its largest expansion since the agency's creation in 1993, and establishes a fund to help nonprofit organizations recruit and manage more volunteers. AmeriCorps offers a range of volunteer opportunities including housing construction, youth outreach, disaster response and caring for the elderly.

Congress was sending the bill to President Barack Obama, who often cites his years as a Chicago community organizer for giving him his political start. Obama has made national service programs a high priority. His budget proposal calls for more than $1.1 billion for the programs, an increase of more than $210 million.

The president, who began an eight-day European trip Tuesday, plans to sign the measure when he returns to Washington.

‘I call on all Americans to stand up and do what they can to serve their communities, shape our history and enrich both their own lives and the lives of others across this country," Obama said in a statement.’”

Encourage any young people you know to take a look at the AmericCorps program.