Noted Celebrities Share Perspectives on Service
Roberts, Woodson, Lauren, and Hansen Slated to Address National Conference Attendees

By Colleen Kassouf-Mackey

How do a political commentator, a fashion company executive, social activist, and inspirational author align with the National Conference theme to Serve Communities, Solve Problems, and Strengthen America?

They inspire by example.

Distinguished guests Cokie Roberts, David Lauren, Bob Woodson, and Mark V. Hansen are featured keynote speakers for the 2005 National Conference on Volunteering and Service in Washington D.C. Their messages will serve to energize, inform, and encourage attendees during the three-day event.

Each of the three keynote speakers brings a unique perspective to the issue of community and national service as a vehicle to solve serious social problems:

		Cokie Roberts, an award-winning, senior news analyst for National Public Radio and political commentator for ABC news, has been honored by numerous organizations for her public service commitment including Volunteers of America and the Baptist Health Foundation. Appointed by President Bush to the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation, Roberts reports on national service legislation and the benefits of national service on news programs such as NPR's Morning Edition. On The Chris Matthews Show, Roberts stated, "Here is some good news. We've learned that AmeriCorps works. The people who were in AmeriCorps, many years out now, are volunteering in their communities and participating in government."
		David Lauren, senior vice president of Advertising, Marketing, and Corporate Communications at Polo Ralph Lauren, was asked to keynote "because of the company's approach of integrating marketing and philanthropy," notes Joseph Bond, Points of Light Foundation senior director of development. In Ralph Lauren: Feel Good Marketing, featured in the onPhilanthropy.com e-newsletter, Lauren explained the mission behind the message of the Get Involved. Volunteer. Exceed. (G.I.V.E) campaign, where supermodels are replaced with community volunteers and partial proceeds benefit G.I.V.E. nonprofit partners: "We want to make volunteerism sexy by using our budget, brand image, and marketing expertise to create awareness."
		Bob Woodson, a steward of social grassroots activism since the 1960s, is the founder and president of the National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering neighborhood leaders to promote solutions that reduce crime and violence, restore families, revitalize low-income communities, and create economic enterprise. In The Triumphs of Joseph: How Community Healers are Reviving Our Streets and Neighborhoods, Woodson touches on the importance of partnership across the volunteer and service sector: "Grassroots leaders have been able to accomplish so much – with virtually nothing – from the larger society. Just imagine what might be possible if we were able to afford an alliance between resources in search of service and servants in search of resources!"
		Mark Victor Hansen, co-founder and chief visionary officer of Chicken Soup for the Soul Enterprises, Inc., president of One Minute Millionaire, LLC, and professional speaker, is also a prolific writer with titles such as Future Diary and How to Achieve Total Prosperity to his credit. For more than 25 years Hansen has focused solely on helping people and organizations, from all walks of life, reshape their personal vision of what's possible. His powerful messages of possibility, opportunity, and action have helped create startling and powerful change in thousands of organizations, and millions of individuals worldwide. Hansen is also known as a passionate philanthropist and humanitarian, working tirelessly for organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, American Red Cross, March of Dimes, Childhelp USA and many others. In an article in Entrepreneur magazine, Hansen said, "Your dream is a big, audacious goal where no one is worse off because of it."

For more information on the National Conference on Volunteering and Community Service, visit www.VolunteeringandService.org. To learn about sponsorship opportunities available with the National Conference, contact Jared Hughes, Director of Development Operations, JHughes@PointsofLight.org, 202-729-8196.