Sandy Scott
sscott@cns.gov

America's Volunteer and National Service Leaders To Convene August 4-6 in Washington, D.C.

Conference Aims to Increase Scope and Impact of Nation's Volunteer Efforts

(Washington, D.C.) – More than 2,500 volunteer and national service leaders will gather in Washington August 4-6 for the 2005 National Conference on Volunteering and Service. Their aim: to gain skills and develop strategies to engage more Americans more effectively in volunteer service to meet pressing social needs.

The conference, the largest gathering of volunteer leaders in the nation, comes at a time of increasing rates of volunteering and growing recognition of the value of America's volunteers. Last year 64.5 million Americans volunteered – an increase of nearly 5 million since 2002 – and they provided an estimated $272 billion in services.

Keynote speakers represent a variety of sectors and include award-winning political commentator Cokie Roberts, Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, rock superstar Jon Bon Jovi, Polo Ralph Lauren executive David Lauren, National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise president Robert L. Woodson, Sr., and author Mark Victor Hansen. A press schedule with conference highlights is at the end of this release.

The theme of the three-day event, convened by the Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network and the Corporation for National and Community Service, is, “Serve Communities. Solve Problems. Strengthen America.”

“When people volunteer, good things happen – those who receive the services are helped, those who provide the services are bettered, and our communities are enriched,” said Robert K. Goodwin, president and CEO of the Points of Light Foundation. “Volunteering is an essential complement to services provided by our government and large private organizations.”

“With support for volunteering and service at its highest level ever, together we can seize the momentum and build a culture of service and a nation of volunteers," said David Eisner, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. “The leaders coming to this conference are the supply line for America's armies of compassion, and we hope this conference will strengthen their reach and impact.”

Attendees include leaders from Volunteer Centers, AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and Learn and Serve America programs; businesses, nonprofits, and governor-appointed state service commissions. The nation's capital offers a unique backdrop for the conference, a reminder that while volunteering operates largely on the community level, it contributes to the national agenda and goals of service, civic engagement, and citizenship.

In conjunction with the conference, more than 400 volunteers from the D.C. metropolitan area and Surgeon General Richard Carmona will participate in a variety of service projects focused on healthy lifestyles and good nutrition and benefiting organizations within the Shaw community, the neighborhood surrounding the Washington Convention Center.

The National Conference is made possible with the support of a number of sponsors, including our leadership partner, UPS Foundation. Other major sponsors include Accenture, Anheuser-Busch Companies, AT&T, Business Strengthening America, The Steven Case Foundation, Deloitte & Touche USA LLP, The Home Depot, KPMG, The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation, Marriott International, Inc., Nextel, Northrop Grumman, Pitney Bowes, Target Corporation, The Walt Disney Company, and The Washington Times, and numerous other sponsors.

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The Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network, a nonpartisan and nonprofit organization, supports and organizes the vital work of community volunteers who help solve our nation's most serious social problems by bringing people and resources together. The Foundation builds knowledge, skills and programs for volunteer leaders and volunteers to succeed, and provides leadership to mobilize volunteers in thousands of local communities across the country. For more information, call 202-729-8000 or visit www.pointsoflight.org .

The Corporation for National and Community Service provides opportunities for Americans of all ages and backgrounds to serve their communities and countries through three programs: Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America. Together with USA Freedom Corps, the Corporation is working to foster a culture of citizenship, service, and responsibility, and to help all Americans answer the President's Call to Service. For more information, call 202-606-5000 or visit www.nationalservice.gov .

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National Conference on Volunteering and Service

Press Schedule and Highlights

Wednesday, August 3

8:00 - 3:30 2 nd Annual Faith and Community Institute Day: Washington DC Convention Center, Rm. 207

A forum with leaders of faith-based organizations involved in volunteer service.

Keynote: Former Philadelphia Mayor Wilson Goode.

9:00 – 5:00 2 nd International Roundtable on Service and Volunteerism: Washington DC Convention Center, Rm. 103 Featuring Hazel Blears, Member of Parliament and Minister of State in the U.K. Home Office, and David Knafo, Director, Division of Special Duties, Ministry of Social Affairs, Israel

12:30 – 2:00 Faith and International Luncheon: Washington DC Convention Center, Rm. 146

Speakers: Hazel Blears and David Knafo

Thursday, August 4

9:30 – 11:30 Opening Plenary Session: Washington DC Convention Center Ballroom

Remarks by Washington, DC Mayor Anthony Williams

Community Leader Award presented by Mayor Williams and Marcia Bullard, CEO USA WEEKEND

Remarks: Jon Bon Jovi, singer and performer

Keynote: Cokie Roberts, political commentator, followed by Q&A

Keynote: Robert L. Woodson, Sr., National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise president, followed by Q&A

Lenore and George W. Romney Citizen Volunteer Award will be presented to Robert L. Woodson, Sr.

1:30 – 2:00 Start of Mural Painting Service Project: Washington DC Convention Center Exhibit Hall D, Level 2

Featuring renowned painter Thomas Kinkade.

2:30 – 4:30 Community Mural Service Project: Kennedy Recreation Center, 7 th and P Streets, NW

Thomas Kinkade will direct a mural painting inside the recreation center foyer with youth from the Shaw community.

Friday, August 5

8:30 – 3:00 Service Projects: Shaw Community, Washington, DC

These projects will involve more than 300 volunteers from the conference, local residents, businesses and organizations, including AmeriCorps members, local faith-based organizations, and children and teens from local summer youth programs. Mural painting and beautification projects will be conducted at the following locations: Kennedy Recreation Center, Downtown Cluster Senior Center, Shaw Junior High School, Scott Montgomery Elementary School, Seaton Elementary School, SINGA, Inc., Shaw Main Street Neighborhood & East Central Civic Association, and Shiloh Baptist Family Life Center .

8:40 Service Project Opening Ceremony: Kennedy Recreation Center, 1401 7 th Street, NW

Vice Admiral Richard Carmona, M.D., U.S. Surgeon General, and health and fitness instructor Laurent will lead a morning exercise routine based on the President's Challenge Active Lifestyle Program during the opening kick-off. Participants include local athletic celebrities and politicians, and Packy PlayFair, the mascot for good sportsmanship.

9:00 – 10:30 Forum: Washington DC Convention Center, Rm. 202

“Media Coverage of Volunteering, Philanthropy and the Nonprofit Sector,” a panel including Jack Curry, USA WEEKEND, Francis Coombs, The Washington Times, Ira Mellman, WTOP radio and Stacy Palmer, Chronicle of Philanthropy as panelists.

10:00 – 11:30 Business Leadership Forum: Washington DC Convention Center, Rm. 146A

Michel McQueen Martin, ABC News correspondent, will moderate a roundtable discussion about corporate volunteerism with CEOs and senior executives from award-winning companies.

12:00 – 2:00 Awards for Excellence in Workplace Volunteer Programs: Washington DC Convention Center Ballroom

Keynote: David Lauren, senior vice president, Polo Ralph Lauren

Six companies will be honored for their contributions and commitment to developing and managing effective employee volunteer programs.

Corporate Spirit of Service Award: Washington DC Convention Center Ballroom

UPS will be honored for over 50 years of leadership in corporate philanthropy for volunteering and service.

2:30 – 4:00 Forum: Washington DC Convention Center, Rm. 147A

“50+ Volunteering in a New Age: Innovative Pathways for Organizations.” This session is a forum on engaging the coming wave of 77 million baby boomers in volunteer service, which previews a key topic of the upcoming White House Conference on Aging. Panelists include Jan Newsome, Corporation for National and Community Service, Jeri Sedlar, author of Don't Retire, Rewire!, Jay Winsten, Harvard School for Public Health/Met Life Foundation Initiative on Retirement and Civic Engagement, Scott Nystrom, White House Conference on Aging, and Tom Endres, National Council on Aging.

4:30 – 6:00 Forum: Washington DC Convention Center, Rm. 146C

“Serving the Common Good: Ethical and Effective Practice in Nonprofit Organizations,” a panel featuring Mark Everson, Commissioner if the IRS, Diana Aviv, Independent Sector, and Dorothy Ridings, Council on Foundations, discussing efforts to hold organizations financially accountable.

Saturday, August 6

12:00 – 2:00 Closing General Session: Washington DC Convention Center Ballroom

Keynote: Mike Leavitt, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Keynote: Mark Victor Hansen, author and co-creator of Chicken Soup for the Soul series

Note to Editors: Interviews can be scheduled with keynote speakers, Points of Light Foundation CEO Robert Goodwin; Corporation for National and Community Service CEO David Eisner; and volunteer award winners. B-roll footage will be available, as well as information on state-by-state statistics on volunteering and national service. The onsite media office will be located in Convention Center Room 203B, level two. The phone number for the on-site media office is (202) 429-4024. The fax is (202) 789-2486. The office will be open from at 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., August 3. August 4 and 5, it will be open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. The hours on August 6 are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.