Yesterday, Stephen Goldsmith, chairman of the board of the Corporation for National and Community Service and former Mayor of Indianapolis, and Harris Wofford, former U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania and CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service from 1995 to 2001, contributed an op-ed calling for a "Service Stimulus Package." This article appeared in the Miami Herald (FL), Fort Worth Star Telegram (TX), The Record (NJ) and other newspapers.
This article includes a ton of pertinent information about how service should, and will be, a part of the solution to the current economic recession.
Here are some of the highlights:
"As the government seeks to deal with the economic crisis and relieve the distress felt by millions of families, we should not overlook the great American tradition of service."
"Lawmakers who will soon consider a financial stimulus package should also consider a 'service stimulus.' Repairing the roads and bridges of our physical infrastructure is urgently needed, but we also need to expand our civic infrastructure dramatically."
"Here are a few examples of what 'We the People' can do right now and in the year ahead:
- We can help children in danger of dropping out of school by volunteering as tutors and mentors.
- Skilled professionals (lawyers, accountants, et al.) can go door to door in distressed communities to assist families facing mortgage foreclosure.
- Volunteers can support displaced families and children by helping them transition from homeless shelters to more permanent housing.
- Since financial stress and unemployment can lead to substance abuse, psychological despair and homelessness, community assistance centers and shelters will need many new volunteers and basic supplies."
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