United We Serve officially
kicked off June 22 at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service. The service
initiative will culminate with a National Day of Service and Remembrance on
September 11, 2009. The culmination will provide an opportunity to recognize
the summer's accomplishments, honor those who died on September 11, 2001 by
serving in their memory, and encourage Americans to make an ongoing commitment
to service.
This is an extraordinary moment in time. As Americans and
Girl Scouts, we have a unique opportunity to come together and solve our
nation's most vexing problems. In this spirit, President Obama announced a
nationwide service initiative, the beginning of a sustained, collaborative, and
focused effort to meet community needs and make service a way of life for all
Americans. Volunteers are asked to step
up and become volunteer organizers by identifying unmet needs in their
community, developing their own service projects, and engaging others who are
interested in the same issue area. Your
Girl Scout troop can take part by doing a service project that takes places or
culminates on September 11.
Focus: The Economic Recovery
United We Serve
will empower Americans to participate in the economic recovery by:
·
Promoting clean energy, energy efficiency, and
public land restoration.
·
Supporting education and literacy for all
Americans.
·
Increasing health care access, public health
awareness, and prevention.
·
Providing community renewal to areas hardest hit
by the economic crisis.
If you need ideas or would like to be put in touch with organizations
that need volunteers, please contact Mary Anne Brutkiewicz, ext. 1202.
