George Stevens, Jr., who is responsible for the Kennedy Center Honors and Christmas in Washington programs, will produce the event, along with his son, Michael Stevens. This event will honor the volunteering movement and continue to spark action for further civic engagement as we head into National Volunteer Week in April.
Michelle Nunn comments:
This remarkable coming together of individuals from across the political spectrum is conclusive proof that, while partisanship divides us, people at every level want to find opportunities to unite to make differences in their community without regard to party or politics.
You can unite with us and join Americans from across the country to recognize individual Points of Light in your communities through their words and actions. Today we are launching an innovative website that collects these Tributes and turns them into a virtual community committed to the power of service. Points of Light Institute is also holding a Facebook contestas another vehicle to honor individual Points of Light in communities across the country and to drive voluntary service.
Click here to write a Tribute to a Point of Light in your life on Facebook that will be posted to our virtual Tribute wall as well.
If you don’t have Facebook click here to honor a Point of Light on our virtual Tribute wall.
You can immediately begin helping your communities by signing up for local volunteer opportunities. Through the power of the Internet and the innovative access to information and organizing, we can each make a difference.
By making this event as much a call to action moving forward as a retrospective on a unique American life, we are paying ultimate honor to President Bush’s legacy.
Two “Points of Light”
Recognizing someone who has made a difference in your community has never been easier. Who inspires you with the way they serve others? Who makes your community a better place to live because of their voluntary efforts?
Points of Light Institute’s CEO, Michelle Nunn, recently recognized two “Points of Light” in her life.
Her first tribute is to President George H. W. Bush. recognizing him for his extraordinary life of service and for inspiring the “Points of Light” service movement that has been used by each President succeeding him.
She also recognized Richard Goldsmith who has tutored children on Saturdays at Park Lane Elementary School for twenty years and established the Discovery program which has been implemented in other schools.
You and the person you pay tribute to will have a chance to win airfare, lodging, and two tickets to the Points of Light Tribute event honoring President George H. W. Bush in Washington, D.C. on March 21, 2011. (Contest Ends March 07, 2011 @ 11:59 pm EST.)
SUBMIT: Either an essay, a photo, or a photo and an essay that pays tribute to either President H. W. Bush or a Point of Light in your life.
SHARE: Your tribute with friends and encourage them to go to the POLI Facebook page and like your tribute. The tributes that receive top 3 likes on Facebook will be eligible to win an expenses-paid trip to Washington D.C. and attend the Tribute Event.
VOTE: Your favorite tributes submitted by others.
A panel of Tribute Committee members will choose the submission that they determine best inspires a commitment to volunteer action from the three entries that receive the highest number of votes.
Inspire others to serve by recognizing someone who makes a difference in the world.
George P. Bush honors Grandfather, President George H. W. Bush, in USA Today
son and the grandson of President George H. W. Bush. The piece also highlights the upcoming Tribute event, which we will officially announce to the public next Tuesday morning, February 22nd. George P. Bush honors President George H. W. Bush’s extraordinary leadership in the American voluntary action movement and discusses his own inspiring path to service that started at a young age.
When I was 12, I went to Washington, D.C., to spend the summer with my grandparents in the White House, and one of the first things my grandmother did was to take me to volunteer at a soup kitchen in downtown Washington. Like any 12-year-old, I was reluctant at first, thinking that playing sports and hanging out with my friends were more important than volunteering. It was only later, when my passion for baseball combined with my family’s call to public service, that I understood the profound rewards of giving back.
George P. discusses the impact that his grandfather had on him personally with service and how he was inspired to join the Navy as well.
For me, the moment when I realized it was my turn to do my part for our country came on Oct. 7, 2006. That day, I witnessed my grandfather become the first living president in U.S history to participate in the christening of a warship named for him: the USS George H.W. Bush. . . Gampy’s remarks that day — a rare, personal window into his heroic service in World War II — affected me deeply. . . I knew then that I needed to do more. Soon afterward, I phoned my grandfather to let him know that I intended to follow in his footsteps and join the Navy. Several months later, I began my naval training.
Yesterday, in Washington, President Barack Obama highlighted the impressive achievements of the 2010 Presidential Freedom award winners at the White House. President Obama said, “This year’s Medal of Freedom recipients reveal the best of who we are and who we aspire to be.”
President Obama pointed out how one person can make a difference: “Generations from now, when parents teach their children what is meant by courage, the story of
will come to mind: an American who knew that change could not wait for some other person or some other time.”
Through the award winners President Obama shared strong American individual attributes that make up our nation:
When you look at the men and women who are here today, it says something about who we are as a people. When we award this medal to a Congressman John Lewis, it says that we aspire to be a more just, more equal, more perfect union. When we award it to a Jasper Johns, it says we value the original and the imaginative. When we award it to a Warren Buffett, it says we’d all like to be so humble and wise. . . And when we award it to former President George H. W. Bush, it says we celebrate an extraordinary life of service and of sacrifice.
George H. W. Bush was recognized for his impact on civic engagement as a person who has devoted nearly 70 of his 86 years to public service, starting on his 18
th
birthday the moment he joined the Navy. President Obama praised Bush saying:
His life is a testament that public service is a noble calling. . . I would add that, like the remarkable Barbara Bush, his humility and his decency reflects the very best of the American spirit. Those of you who know him, this is a gentleman; inspiring citizens to become “points of light” in service to others.
To honor George H. W. Bush or highlight a Point of Light in your life
President Barack Obama to Present George H. W. Bush with the 2010 Medal of Freedom Award Feb. 15, 2011
George H. W. Bush presents President Reagan with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1993
Today George H. W. Bush will be awarded the prestigious Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama alongside 14 other renowned citizens. In 1993 George H. W. Bush presented the Medal of Freedom to Ronald Reagan and now he himself is awarded for his civic service.The Medal of Freedom is a highly prestigious award that is given to individuals who make an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors. It is awarded to individuals selected by the current President or recommended to him by the Distinguished Civilian Service Awards Board.
You can watch the live stream of the ceremony taking place at the White House on February 15th; the recipients will receive their honors at 1:30 EST.
Some of the other awardees include environmentalist John H. Adams, poet Maya Angelou, and Holocaust survivor Gerda Weissmann Klein. In his announcement Obama commented: “all of [the awardees] have lived extraordinary lives that have inspired us, enriched our culture, and made our country and our world a better place.”
George H. W. commented about the Freedom award in his Fox News ‘On the Record’ interview with Greta Van Sustern on February 9th: “I view it as a real honor. When Obama called me about it, I was thrilled. And I consider the Medal of Freedom a special thing… I’m emotional about service to the country. It is the highest honor that a president can bestow on anybody. And the fact that he’s giving honor means a lot. And I told him so.”
Aside from this honor George H. W. Bush along with Mrs. George H. W. Bush will be recognized in the Points of Light Institute Tribute event March 2011 for their extraordinary lives of service.
You can recognize a Point of Light in your life whose volunteerism has positively impacted lives and inspired you to serve by entering the Points of Lights Institute’s Facebook contest. You and the person you pay tribute to will have a chance to win airfare, lodging, and two tickets to the Points of Light Tribute event honoring President George H. W. Bush in Washington, D.C. on March 21, 2011. Contest Ends March 07, 2011 @ 11:59 pm (EST).
How To Create A ‘Point of Light’ Tribute
Who is a Point of Light?
President George H.W. Bush is, of course, a Point of Light. If President Bush’s unique commitment to service and voluntary action has inspired you, we encourage you to post a tribute to him.
A Point of Light is an inspiring individual, organization or company that is dedicated to voluntary action.
We want you to be creative. While voluntary action includes Americans who donate their time to overcoming challenges in their communities, it also includes those who have donated their resources and used their voices to make a difference. All of these people are Points of Light.
Instructions for Filming a Tribute
Introduce yourself with your name, organization affiliation if applicable and where you live.
Clearly state that you want to nominate/honor a Point of Light.
Identify the person being honored by his or her name, organization affiliation if applicable and where they live.
Talk about the impact your Point of Light has had in your community.
Be very specific and think of this like you’re telling a story. If your Point of Light has been involved in the community or volunteerism for a long time discuss her ongoing commitment, if there is a specifically powerful example of how she has had an impact, relate that story.
Avoid wearing white, red, all black and busy patterns.
Your video should be around 1 minute in length.
To post your video, please go to http://pol.gpgwebreview.com. Videos should be in MOV, MP4, or WMV format and should be no larger than 750mb in size. If you have any questions, please contact Tim Miller at tmiller(at)gpgdc(dot)com or 202.292.6977.
Instructions for Writing a Tribute
Include your name, organization affiliation if applicable and where you live.
Clearly state that you want to nominate/honor a Point of Light.
Identify the person being honored by his or her name, organization affiliation if applicable and where they live.
Talk about the impact your Point of Light has had in your community.
Be very specific and think of this like you’re telling a story. If your Point of Light has been involved in the community or volunteerism for a long time discuss her ongoing commitment, if there is a specifically powerful example of how she has had an impact, relate that story.
If possible, please include a photo of the individual you are honoring.
Hi my name is Dee Dee Myers, and my “Points of Light” are Zack Rosenburg and Liz McCartney of the St. Bernard Project in New Orleans. Zack, a lawyer, and Liz, a teacher, decided to go down to New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. They thought they’d spend a month there helping residents rebuild their homes, but what they found when they got there it totally changed their lives.
As they began talking with residents in those first weeks, they realized that people wanted to rebuild more than just their homes. They wanted to rebuild their communities and their entire lives. So Zack and Liz decided to move to New Orleans full-time and start an organization, the St. Bernard Project, which would help people do just that, to rebuild.
So working together, these residents and the St. Bernard Project began trying to overcome all of the obstacles that still face residents more than five years later. Obstacles like contractor fraud, high cost, disability and all kinds of other really tough barriers, and they’ve been very successful. They’ve already rebuilt nearly 350 homes and they have 50 more in construction. Thanks to Zack and Liz hundreds of New Orleans families now have a more hopeful future. That’s why Zack Rosenburg and Liz McCartney are my “Points of Light.”
SAMPLE WRITTEN TRIBUTE
Remarks by President Obama at Points of Light Institute’s 20th Anniversary
And that, ultimately, is the idea at the heart of President Bush’s vision: that each of us has a role to play, and all of us have something to contribute. He didn’t call for one blinding light shining from Washington — he didn’t just call for a few bright lights from the biggest nonprofits; but he called for “a vast galaxy of people and institutions working together to solve problems in their own backyard.
And today, 20 years later, think for a minute about the impact that he’s had. Think of the thousands of people and organizations who’ve been named Points of Light –and the countless others he inspired to do their part. Think of all the people they touched and the lives they changed –- and all of those who were helped who went on to help others. That’s the extraordinary ripple effect that one life, lived humbly, with love for one’s country, and in service to one’s fellow citizens, can have. May we each strive to make that kind of difference with our own lives.
Thank you, President Bush.
The Points of Light Institute Tribute Guest Details
Date
:
Monday, March 21, 2011
Location
:
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts –
2700 F Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20566
Time
:
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Due to security requirements, please arrive at least 60 minutes prior to the start of the formal program. Time of arrival subject to change.
Attire
:
Black Tie Optional
Tickets
:
The ticket distribution process will be announced closer to the date.
Photo ID will be required to pick up tickets.
Airport Information
:
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) is located approximately 4 miles from downtown Washington D.C. and is a 14 minute drive to the Kennedy Center. DCA is the closest airport to the Kennedy Center.
Other nearby airports:
• Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) is located in Loudoun and Fairfax Counties, Virginia. It is 26 miles and 30 minutes (non-rush hour) from downtown Washington D.C.
Transportation Information
:
Transportation from airports and hotels to the Kennedy Center should be arranged by each guest. Parking is available at the Kennedy Center.
Hotel Information
:
Discounted rates have been negotiated at hotels in the D.C. area. Please contact Williamsburg/American Express Travel (grouptravel(at)willtrav(dot)com); (888) 232-9394) to check availability and to reserve your room.
The Hay-Adams, the official hotel of The Tribute (Sixteenth & H Streets, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20006): please inquire with Williamsburg about special rates.
The Fairmont Hotel (2401 M St NW, Washington, DC, 20037): $339 for the night of Monday, March 21, 2011. Rates expire 2/18/11.
