PRESIDENT CLINTON HONORS MARTIN LUTHER KING THROUGH WORDS AND DEEDS: SERVES
ON KING HOLIDAY AND SALUTES AMERICA?S VOLUNTEERS
January 15, 2000
Today, President Clinton will join ninety Americorps members in repairing
and painting the Greenleaf Senior Center in Washington, D.C. in honor of
Martin Luther King. In 1994, the President signed the King Holiday and
Service Act, establishing the King holiday as a national day of service,
and for the fourth year in a row, President Clinton will participate in a
community service project in recognition of this day. At the senior
center, the President will celebrate the launching of the new D.C. City
Year AmeriCorps site, swearing in the new City Year corps members. Today
the President will also participate in the 16th Annual Citywide Observance
of the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday at the University of District of
Columbia, where he will announce the All AmeriCorps Awards, and call on all
Americans to continue bringing people of different races and backgrounds
together through community service.
MAKING THE KING HOLIDAY "A DAY ON, NOT A DAY OFF." In 1994, President
Clinton signed the King Holiday and Service Act, sponsored by Sen. Harris
Wofford and Rep. John Lewis, to make the King Holiday a day of service that
brings people together. The Day of Service is led by the Corporation for
National Service, the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change, and other
partners with citizens across the country observing this day by tutoring
children, painting classrooms, delivering meals and other community
projects. The President will promote service in the District of Columbia
by visiting the Greenleaf Senior Center, where he will join efforts to
paint and repair the center. He will also swear in 31 members of the new
Washington, D.C. City Year site, a national service program for 17-24
year-olds. The President first visited City Year in Boston in 1991 as a
candidate when there were 50 corps members. With support from AmeriCorps,
City Year has grown to more than 1,000 members serving 13 cities, including
the new Washington D.C. site.
RECOGNIZING PROGRESS AND SUPPORT FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE. Today the
President will join Mayor Anthony Williams, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes
Norton, the D.C. Commission on National and Community Service, and local
other officials at the King Observance at the University of the District of
Columbia. He will highlight the progress in civil rights and economic
opportunity, and urge Americans to continue working together to achieve
King?s dream of One America. He will also reflect on the stunning growth
and success of AmeriCorps and other community service initiatives,
recognizing the 10 winners of the second annual All AmeriCorps Awards to
honor the efforts and accomplishments of AmeriCorps members. Since 1994,
nearly 200,000 men and women have joined AmeriCorps -- more than have
served in the Peace Corps since it was established in 1961. Other national
service programs also have record levels of participation, with 500,000
older Americans serving in the Senior Corps and more than one million
students involved in service-learning. The President will also announce the
creation of the Eli Segal Entrepreneurial Award for an AmeriCorps member or
alum who is an outstanding entrepreneurial leader. A successful
businessman, Segal was the first CEO of the Corporation for National
Service and the CEO of the Welfare-to-Work Partnership.
Continuing An Eight Year Track Record of Support for Revitalizing Our
Nation's Capital. Today, Washington DC Mayor Anthony Williams will present
President Bill Clinton with the Martin Luther King "Living the Dream" Award
for the President's steadfast commitment to revitalizing the District of
Columbia. In the early and mid-1990s, the city faced a severe financial
crisis. President Clinton stepped in to help, backing the DC Financial
Control Board, and establishing the DC Task Force to bring the federal
agency's resources to bear on the city's problems. In 1997, the President
enacted the Revitalization Act, fundamentally restructuring the federal
relationship with the District and providing $2.2 billion over the next
five years to cover state-like functions. That year, the President signed
the Taxpayer Relief Act, providing $1.2 billion in targeted tax incentives
for job growth, economic development, and
homeownership in Washington DC. In 1999, the President capitalized the new
economic development corporation of the city, the NCRC, with $25 million,
and the following year backed a New York Avenue Metro station which will
promote economic development with another $25 million.
In 1999, the President achieved the College Access Act, providing $17
million every year for high school students in DC to attend out-of-state
colleges at in-state tuition rates. The President's agencies also
contributed through OMB's DC Task Force in myriad ways to help DC,
including
by providing $110 million for low-density, mixed income affordable housing
in Anacostia, and $32 million to train out-of-school youth for jobs in the
modern metropolitan economy. The President has defended home rule by
beating back intrusive appropriations riders, restoring the historic Wilson
building to the people of the city, and backing voting representation for
the city. Even in his final days in office, the President continues to
support District revitalization. Today, he presents Mayor Williams and
Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton with a copy of the Southeast Federal Center
bill, which will help GSA to encourage private development in Southeast
Washington, D.C.
CELEBRATING THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF VOLUNTEERS. The United Nations
General Assembly has declared 2001 as the International Year of Volunteers.
The President will celebrate the valuable contribution of America?s
volunteers and encourage increased volunteering at home and abroad. An
estimated 56 percent of Americans -- 109 million people -- volunteered in
1998, contributing 20 billion hours of service. This level was an all-time
high and 20 million more than volunteered than in 1993. In addition,
charitable giving reached a record $190 billion in 1999, increasing 43
percent over 1993. The U.S. Steering Committee for the International Year
of Volunteers is planning programs and events to challenge all Americans to
become involved in volunteering and to celebrate the volunteer efforts
already underway in their communities.
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