Over the course of the next several months, candidates and political organizations will continue to tell you that "you can make a difference," that "your participation is needed," and that "you have the power to effect change in this country."
Today, I echo each of those sentiments, but I do so without a political agenda.
Instead, I want to urge your participation in a non-partisan cause: volunteerism.
The fact that civic engagement is non-partisan should not be confused with the notion that it does not attract the attention of our nation's leaders. When President George H. W. Bush accepted his party's nomination in 1988, and later in his inaugural address, he spoke of " ... a thousand points of light, of all the community organizations that are spread like stars throughout the nation doing good ... "
Those words, combined with his spirit of service, led to the creation of the Points of Light Foundation, now known as the Points of Light/Hands On Network, headquartered here in Atlanta.
President Bush, like many other presidents, understood that he had a role and a responsibility to encourage civic engagement.
While I am not an elected official, I, too, feel a personal responsibility to make a contribution. To this end, I am honored to join IBM Corp.'s Ann Cramer as co-chair of the host committee for the 2008 National Conference for Volunteering and Service to be held here in Atlanta beginning this week. This conference is the world's largest gathering of volunteer and service leaders and will bring together over 4,000 community, corporate, faith-based and student leaders. Participants will be provided an opportunity to network with seasoned volunteer leaders and subject-matter experts while exploring the trends and challenges facing volunteer and nonprofit organizations.
It is of particular importance to note that this year's conference theme "The Urgency of Now!" is a call to action for the next generation of civic leaders. It is not by coincidence that this theme was chosen for a conference held in the birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It is also the home of such organizations as Hands On Atlanta, Habitat for Humanity, CARE, Boys and Girls Club, and Hands On Georgia.
It is my wish that for three days our city and state will become a center for ideas and inspiration and that the attendees will leave Atlanta better educated and even more motivated. Most importantly, it is my hope that these new leaders will, as role models, encourage others to get involved and make a contribution.
Participation in this conference should build the foundation for more effective community programs across the nation, enhance the sustainability of those programs and lead to long-term success. While inspiring someone to participate in a reading program for elementary school kids, a river clean-up or building wheelchair ramps, I expect that we will have also trained leaders who are better equipped to coordinate volunteers, manage the project budget and build broad-based community support. I am excited that we have this opportunity to put aside our political or individual differences and instead make a difference.
I encourage you to join me in taking a break from the issues of the day and stand side by side with community leaders from across the country. Together we can inspire our nation in the name of service.
As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stated, "Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love."
Tanenblatt is senior managing director at McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP and has been nominated by President George W. Bush to serve on the board of directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service.
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