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The White House Blog: Service

  • Replicating Success

    Posted by Nicola Goren on October 8, 2009 at 9:15 AM EDT

    Speaking before a group of nonprofit and philanthropic leaders on June 30th, President Obama stated that:
    The bottom line is clear: Solutions to America's challenges are being developed every day at the grass roots – and government shouldn't be supplanting those efforts, it should be supporting those efforts.  Instead of wasting taxpayer money on programs that are obsolete or ineffective, government should be seeking out creative, results-oriented programs like the ones here today and helping them replicate their efforts across America.
    The Corporation for National Community and Service (the Corporation) is taking up the President's call through the creation of the Social Innovation Fund—a fund that was authorized by the bi-partisan Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act of 2009. 
    The Social Innovation Fund is currently being designed, and for those interested in learning more and participating in a question and answer session, representatives of the Corporation will be hosting a conference call on October 15th (sign-up information is below).
    We know that every day innovative and effective nonprofit organizations are working to solve some of the greatest challenges facing our nation—from low high school graduation rates, to the acute job skills deficit, to a lack of access to affordable, quality health care. 
    They are driven by the passion to help others and to lead change in their communities, and these factors are an indispensible part of their success.  It is what makes the long hours bearable and what compels thousands of people to volunteer with them in the pursuit of a goal larger than themselves.  
    But their success is also a function of their drive to find the best—the most efficient and effective—ways to do their work.  By subjecting themselves to evaluation, they are able to calculate their impact and plot a new course of action if the evidence points to an approach or an idea that will allow them to make an even greater difference in people's lives.   
    Through the Social Innovation Fund, President Obama is committed to supporting the growth and replication of innovative nonprofit organizations and practices that can demonstrate their impact.  Specifically, the fund will provide on a competitive basis, multi-year federal support to promising nonprofit organizations in communities across the country. 
    The President has asked Congress for $50 million in funding, which will then be matched by investments from a network of experienced grant makers and the nonprofit organizations themselves. 
    The goal is to build a pipeline of organizations and practices with strong evidence, and the capacity to grow and increase the impact of their work.  The Social Innovation Fund will provide the support needed to help move organizations from the promising stage to the stage where they have more concrete evidence that what they do, works.
    This is a new way of doing business for government.  For that reason, the process of designing the Social Innovation Fund has been proactive, with outreach to interested individuals and communities early in the design process in order to capture their best thinking and ideas.  The Corporation and the White House have conducted over 50 meetings with stakeholders such as:
    • Nonprofit organizations addressing our nation's many challenges
    • Foundations that invest both organizational expertise and resources in nonprofit organizations
    • Community foundations with extensive experience in local communities
    • Evaluation experts with unique knowledge about how to measure impact
    • Academics and other experts with knowledge about how to support innovation, growth and expansion of high-performing nonprofit organizations
    • Organizations focused on service and volunteerism, including hundreds of participants at the National Conference on Service and Volunteering
    • Other federal agencies working to surface and fund innovative organizations, such as the Departments of Education and Housing and Urban Development
    • Federal agencies with existing funding for innovation and a wealth of historical knowledge, such as the Small Business Administration and Department of Defense; and
    • Local and state government leaders
    In addition to these targeted meetings, the Corporation conducted five listening sessions around the country and phone calls open to the public on the implementation of the Serve America Act, including the Social Innovation Fund, and created a space on their Web site to solicit public feedback. 
    Over the next several months, the Corporation and the White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation will be continuing this outreach with meetings in Chicago, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Santa Fe and elsewhere.
    We are seeking the best thinking and lessons learned in communities across the country, in order to improve and shape the design of the Social Innovation Fund.  We believe that the Social Innovation Fund will underscore the importance of innovation in solving our nation's most serious challenges, and the need to invest in "what works."
    While the fund alone won't solve our nation's challenges, it offers the hope of finding the next great idea or organization, and giving it the push it needs to reach more communities. 
    The federal government has often been a catalyst in spurring innovation—from the creation of the Internet to the development of community-based health centers.  Now, more than ever, we must help to find and support bold ideas and approaches that will improve the lives of millions of Americans.  The challenges we face today are simply too numerous and too complex to be tackled in isolation, community by community. 
    Again, we hope you'll join us in this effort by participating in a briefing call and question and answer session about the Social Innovation Fund hosted by the Corporation for National and Community Service from 1-2pm EST on Thursday, October 15, 2009.  To register for the call and secure call logistics, please visit http://www.innovationcall.org/.  Send questions in advance to Innovation@cns.gov.  We will address as many questions as time allows on the call.
    Nicola Goren is Acting CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service

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  • A Challenge From the Heart

    Posted by Molly Fedick on September 11, 2009 at 5:15 PM EDT

    Dressed casually in a vibrant blue cardigan and jeans and armed with a paintbrush, a passerby may assume the smiling volunteer was just another Habitat for Humanity worker. A double-take reveals, however, that standing alongside George Washington University students is none other than the First Lady, Michelle Obama.

    First Lady Michelle Obama participates in a United We Serve service volunteer event at a Habitat for Humanity site in Washington, D.C., Sept. 11, 2009. She is joined by Julie Bindleglass, a junior at George Washington University, and Shakir Cannon-Moye, a senior, to kick off the First Lady's challenge to GW students to serve. Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton. View Full Size
     

    As part of the first National Day of Service, the First Lady visited a DC Habitat for Humanity site, her presence an exciting start to what is sure to be GW's most service-oriented year ever.

    With a promise to speak at GWU's May 2010 Commencement on the line, students accepted the First Lady's challenge to complete a collective 100,000 hours of community service by the end of the school year.  She told them, "What’s taking place at The George Washington University is what United We Serve is all about. My challenge to the GW community is to make service a daily part of their lives."

    First Lady Michelle Obama paints a wall at a Habitat for Humanity site in Washington, D.C., Sept. 11, 2009. She is joined by Julie Bindleglass, a junior at George Washington University, and Shakir Cannon-Moye, a senior, to kick off the First Lady's challenge to GW students to serve. Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton. View Full Size
     

    They had one other set of hands to help them out as well:

    President Obama paints a wall with volunteers at a Habitat for Humanity site in Washington, Friday, Sept. 11, 2009. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

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  • NASCAR and "The Face of America that You Show to the World"

    Posted by Jesse Lee on August 19, 2009 at 7:47 PM EDT

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    download .mp4 (66.1 MB) | read the transcript
    This afternoon the President gave a few remarks at the White House honoring three-time Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson, and took a few moments to look back at NASCAR's history dating back to "its humble beginnings, when moonshiners raced on the sands of Daytona Beach during prohibition." Giving a nod to the Wounded Warriors in the audience, he commended NASCAR for all they do for veterans and the commitment to service in the culture generally:
    After all, one of the core values of the NASCAR community is the belief that service isn't just something you do once in a while when it's convenient -- it's a way of life.  I think Jeff Gordon put it best when he said, simply, "Any person out there should do something some way to give back to their community." 
    And that's what folks from more than 150 countries see around the world when they tune in to your races -- not just your speed and your skill, but also your compassion, your dedication to your families and our communities, how much you love this country and how strongly you support the heroes who serve it.  That's the face of America that you show to the world.
     
    NASCAR 2008 Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson shows his #48 Lowe's Chevy to President Barack Obama
    NASCAR 2008 Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson shows his #48 Lowe's Chevy to President Barack Obama prior to a ceremony honoring him at the White House, Wednesday,  August 19, 2009. Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy
     
    jpg President Barack Obama with NASCAR 2008 Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson during a ceremony honoring him at the White House
    President Barack Obama with NASCAR 2008 Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson during a ceremony honoring him at the White House, Wednesday,  August 19, 2009. Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson

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  • United We Serve: Stories of Service

    Posted by Katherine Brandon on August 14, 2009 at 3:11 PM EDT

    The summer may be almost over, but it's not too late to be a part of United We Serve. Millions of Americans have answered the President's call to service in their communities this summer. Some have volunteered at community health centers, while others have read to children. No matter what service activity they participated in, these volunteers have made a positive impact on their communities. You can read some of their inspiring stories here.

    Want to get involved but don't know how? Visit Serve.gov, where you can search for service projects in your area based on your interests.

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  • A Community Solution that Helps Everyone Win: My Visit to an Innovative Program in Iowa

    Posted by Melody Barnes on July 31, 2009 at 11:20 AM EDT

    Since the President spoke to us last month about his "community solutions" agenda, a number of people have asked me, "What exactly do community solutions look like?" Well, many of us already have them in our own neighborhoods – innovative answers to our local challenges, creative and results-oriented solutions just waiting to be discovered. This is precisely what I found when I visited EverybodyWins! in Des Moines, Iowa last week.
    Back in 1991, five friends with full-time jobs decided that they wanted to make an impact on the low reading and literacy rates of students in their neighborhood. They began by committing just one hour at lunch a week to reading to kids in the local school. Since then, their group has grown into a national youth literacy and mentoring program for low-income elementary students called EverybodyWins! with over 7,000 volunteers that serve more than 9,000 public school students in 16 states and the District of Columbia. And their lunch hour volunteering – the "Power Lunch" program – has been proven, through rigorous evaluation, to strengthen reading proficiency and overall academic performance, and enhance students’ attitudes toward and motivation to read.
    As I wrote in an op-ed in the Des Moines Register, EverybodyWins! is exactly the type of community solution that President Obama asked me to identify when he called on his Domestic Policy Council to scour the country for the very best, most innovative, most successful programs in our communities. I also discussed great programs in places from San Francisco to Milwaukee, along with our intention to visit every region of the country to see what is working for them. President Obama has asked Congress for $50 million for a new community innovation fund – to be housed at the Corporation for National and Community Service – to identify these promising programs through a competitive grant process and to provide them with the support they need to grow and expand. And he has challenged foundations, philanthropists, and the private sector to partner in these efforts by providing resources, advice, and matching funds so that community solutions can be replicated all across our nation.
    I recently visited the EverybodyWins! Iowa chapter at the Carver Community School in Des Moines. I spent time reading out loud with Sandy and Diane. And I sat down with staff and volunteers to discuss how the Des Moines chapter has gained strength since its inception in 2003.
    EverybodyWins! found an Iowa champion in home state Senator Tom Harkin, an EverybodyWins! volunteer in Washington, DC who understood the value of the program from his personal experience... Senator Harkin helped bring together local schools, non-profits, and businesses to successfully fund and launch the program in 2003, creating a strong foundation on which the program has thrived.
    Tyler Weig, the Executive Director of EverybodyWins! Iowa, cites support from two AmeriCorps volunteers as pivotal to expanding the creativity and reach of the program, doubling the number of students served since 2006. Adam Fanning, one of their AmeriCorps members, has engaged local businesses in innovative ways, including a partnership with a Des Moines taxi company that provides free rides for volunteers. The Carver Community School’s unique relationship with the Boys and Girls Club chapter that is housed within the same facility adds further capacity for serving students during the school year and throughout the summertime and holidays.
    And success has not slowed down EverybodyWins! Iowa’s drive to do even more. Tyler discussed plans for creating a "Power Breakfast" at the Carver Community School, which will be staffed primarily by local senior citizen volunteers.
    EverybodyWins! is one of the countless "hidden gems" across the country that is successfully bringing together people from all sectors to address community challenges with solutions proven to work. Stay tuned for more as we search the country over the coming months for other innovative and successful community solutions.
    And if you know of organizations that are successfully addressing challenges in your community, please tell us about them by emailing communitysolutions@who.eop.gov.
    Melody Barnes and EverybodyWins!
    (Photo credit: Jill Fleming Photography)
    Melody Barnes is Director of the Domestic Policy Council.
     

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  • A Cabinet Secretary’s Visit Draws Volunteers to AZ Homeless Shelter

    Posted by Nicola Goren on July 17, 2009 at 2:00 PM EDT

    This piece from the Arizona Republic just scratches the surface of a great story of service, and how we can help increase volunteerism around the nation.
     
    Publicity from U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke's recent tour of the La Mesita Family Shelter for homeless families in west Mesa was intended to help launch President Obama's volunteerism program, United We Serve [sic] locally, but it [also] helped A New Leaf, which operates the shelter, attract more volunteers. The program's goal is to stimulate more volunteerism, with Americans helping each other, especially during the recession.
     
    After Secretary Locke's June 22 visit, A New Leaf received 10 calls from new volunteers who had read newspaper stories about the event or heard about it on television reports. Volunteers from Sun Valley Community Church in Gilbert called to discuss ideas for a group community service project, and four Eagle Scout candidates called in one week to do community service (they usually receive about two calls a month).
     
    The Mesa-based non-profit operates 20 facilities valleywide, including two shelters in the East Valley, La Mesita and the East Valley Men's Center. It also operates Faith House, a domestic violence and transitional housing program in Glendale. The organization served 30,000 people last year and volunteers contributed 20,000 hours of service.
     
    Like many nonprofits, A New Leaf has found that even with the blessing of a recent surge in volunteers, they need still more.  In a tough economy, demand for services is rising while financial resources are declining, leaving volunteer manpower the only viable way to bridge the gap.  To address this challenge all across America, the White House and the Corporation for National and Community Service have joined forces to create Serve.gov, a quick and easy way to connect organizations with potential volunteers.  Groups can post their needs on the site, and anyone interested in serving can find a list of the volunteer opportunities right in your community simply by entering your zip code – or you can create your own volunteer projects with easy-to-use tool kits.
     
    It’s all part of "United We Serve," a nationwide service initiative to help meet growing social needs resulting from the economic downturn. With the knowledge that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things when given the proper tools, President Obama is asking us to come together to help lay a new foundation for growth. This initiative aims to both expand the impact of existing organizations by steering new volunteers their way, and encourage new volunteers to develop their own "do-it-yourself" projects.   United We Serve is starting with an initial 81 day burst of service, culminating in a day of celebration and commemoration on September 11, but it will grow into a sustained, collaborative and focused effort to promote service as a way of life for all Americans.

     

    Nicola Goren is the Acting CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service  

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  • A First Pitch for Service

    Posted by Katherine Brandon on July 14, 2009 at 9:24 PM EDT

    Serve.gov, the website for the President’s United We Serve initiative, launched their blog today. Their first post discussed tonight’s MLB All-Star Game in St. Louis, where activities were focused on highlighting the importance of community service:
    For our first post, we’re thrilled to highlight Major League Baseball’s grand slam effort in support of United We Serve at tonight’s All-Star Game. From a benefit concert to community service projects to a new Presidential video recognizing outstanding volunteers, Major League Baseball has made service the centerpiece of this year’s All-Star Game events.
    As Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig, puts it:
    "The central theme of the 2009 All-Star Game is community service, celebrating the extraordinary work being done by ordinary people. We are thrilled that we can come together with President Obama, who has encouraged a renewed spirit of national service, and illustrate a call to action in our communities."
    Before the game, President Obama appeared in a video with all five living former presidents celebrating "All-Stars Among Us," exceptional men and women who are dedicated to service in their communities:
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    Afterwards, the President threw out the ceremonial first pitch to get the game started.

    The President winds up for the first pitch
    (President Barack Obama winds up for the first pitch at the Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO, on Tuesday, July 14, 2009.  Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson.)
     
    The President throws the first pitch(President Barack Obama throws out the first pitch at the Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO, on Tuesday, July 14, 2009.  Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson.)

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  • Community Solutions

    Posted by Katherine Brandon on June 30, 2009 at 10:46 PM EDT

    The President highlighted the work of innovative non-profits from across the country today at the White House. The event brought together lawmakers, non-profits, foundations, education leaders and leaders from the private sector. The diverse audience heard from the Harlem Children’s Zone, HopeLab, Bonnie CLAC and Genesys Works, who shared their stories about how their programs are improving their communities. These programs, and those like them, have demonstrated results in their neighborhoods and represent exciting opportunities for community solutions nationwide.
    (President Barack Obama delivers remarks highlighting innovative non-profit programs from across the country, Tuesday, June 30, 2009, in the East Room of the  White House in Washington. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
    The President thanked the group for their hard work, noting that although their work is always important, there is no better time than now for creating innovative solutions to our nation’s problems:
    And finally, I want to thank all of you here today for everything you're doing to find new solutions to some of our oldest, toughest problems.  I know what you do is not easy.  I know that for many of you, the hours are long, the pay could be better -- let's face it.  But I also know the difference that each of you make.  I know the lives that you change every single day.  You teach us that there's no such thing as a lost cause if you're willing to be creative, and challenge the conventional wisdom, and take some risks -- if you're willing to try, and fail, and then try again until you find something that works.  And today, I want to recognize that pioneering spirit and thank you all for the contributions that you're making to our communities.
    Government can only do so much, so these organizations are critical to helping rebuild our country. The President explained that we need to take these creative programs and work to implement them nationwide:
    The bottom line is clear:  Solutions to America's challenges are being developed every day at the grass roots -- and government shouldn't be supplanting those efforts, it should be supporting those efforts.  Instead of wasting taxpayer money on programs that are obsolete or ineffective, government should be seeking out creative, results-oriented programs like the ones here today and helping them replicate their efforts across America.
    So if the Harlem Children's Zone can turn around neighborhoods in New York, then why not Detroit, or San Antonio, or Los Angeles or Indianapolis?  If Bonnie Clac can help working people purchase cars and manage their finances in New Hampshire, then they can probably do it in Vermont or all across New England, or all across America.
    To help do this, the President called on organizations to work together so that they will have the resources they need to make the biggest impact. This is the idea behind the $50 million innovation fund, which is included in the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act that the President signed earlier this spring.  This fund will find and evaluate some of the most promising non-profits in communities across the country and help provide funding, with the help of private investments, for the most successful ones.
    (People in the audience listen as President Barack Obama delivers remarks highlighting innovative non-profit programs from across the country, Tuesday, June 30, 2009, in the East Room of the White House in Washington.Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
    Touching on another kind of service, the President also noted in his remarks that today American troops transferred control of all Iraqi cities to Iraqi security forces. He explained that the fact that Iraqis have been celebrating this milestone is a testament to the hard work of every American who has served in Iraq.

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  • Snapshots of Service

    Posted by Kori Schulman on June 30, 2009 at 6:58 PM EDT

    Last week cabinet secretaries and senior administration officials participated in service projects across the country to kick off United We Serve, the President’s summer service initiative. Take a look at the slideshow to see how secretaries and officials answered the President’s call to service.
    Visit www.serve.gov to find service projects in your community.

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  • United We Serve: The President, the First Lady, and 15,000 Backpacks

    Posted by Katherine Brandon on June 25, 2009 at 8:13 PM EDT

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    download .mp4 (80.2 MB) | read the transcript

    As part of United We Serve, The President and First Lady went to Fort McNair today to pack backpacks for children of our servicemen and women. The First Family was joined by several members of Congress and their families, with the goal of packing 15,000 backpacks for the children to bring with them to camp. The backpacks were filled with letters, healthy snacks, Frisbees, and completed with a Bo baseball card!
    The President thanked the troops, and noted that when one person serves in the Armed Forces, the whole family is serving. That is why the First Lady has taken extraordinary interest in helping military families. The President and First Lady brought their own children to the service event, and the President touched on the importance of getting kids involved in service:
    On Monday, we launched "United We Serve," our summer service initiative. It's going to run all the way through our National Day of Service on September 11th. We want to ask every American to take some time out this summer to do something for others. Parents, take your kids – they're going to have fun, they're going to be in sports camps, they're going to be watching TV and playing video games. Once a week, take them down – whether it's to a soup kitchen or to volunteer on a community project – teach them what it means to be a real citizen. You'll find that actually the kids love it, and it's going to make a lasting impression on them. And if all of us are doing that this summer, then we're going to make this country stronger. We're working hard, and members of Congress are working really hard right now, to make our government work for people, but government can only do so much. Ultimately the strength of America doesn't come from Capitol Hill, it doesn't come from the White House. It comes from the grassroots, and that's what all of you are about.
     

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