U.S.LIFE > People > Social Issues > The United States: A Nation of Volunteers

TABLE OF CONTENTS

U.S. Society & Values

Electronic Journal of the U.S. Information Agency, Vol. 3, No. 2, September 1998

THE UNITED STATES: A NATION OF VOLUNTEERS

Focus Commentary Resources

FOCUS

NURTURING CITIZEN SERVICE
By Bill Clinton

President Clinton reflects upon the accomplishments of volunteers across the broad swath of U.S. society, both through national service and by individual commitment.

THE IMPACT OF NATIONAL SERVICE
By Harris Wofford

The director of the Corporation for National Service -- encompassing AmeriCorps, Learn & Serve America, the Senior Corps, and America Reads -- discusses the achievements and continuing challenges that are the mandate of his organization.

COMMENTARY

AMERICA'S VOLUNTARY SPIRIT
By Brian O'Connell

In this overview on the roots of volunteering in the United States, the founding president of Independent Sector, a nationally based organization of volunteers, evaluates the state of citizen participation against a broad historical backdrop.

THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES
By Jimmy Carter

The former U.S. president has spent the majority of his time since leaving office in 1981 as an active volunteer and planner. He offers some thoughts on the personal gratification he has received from pitching in on numerous projects and on how volunteering has changed his perspective on the world.

VOLUNTEERISM AND THE GOVERNMENT SECTOR
By Susan J. Ellis

The author reviews the many ways in which U.S. citizens volunteer at various levels of government -- federal, regional and local -- and also points out the role being played by public officials in the private arena. Ellis is president of Energize, Inc., a Philadelphia-based training, consulting and publishing firm specializing in volunteerism.

FINDING TIME
By Gene Rose

The author views state legislators and their staffers in unusual roles -- as volunteers -- which they perform with little fanfare yet great satisfaction.

VOLUNTEERISM AND CORPORATE AMERICA
By Betty B. Stallings

In this article, the author discusses the benefitsaccruing to the U.S. business community from employee volunteer programs.

SCHOOLS, UNIVERSITIES AND VOLUNTEERING
By Terry Pickeral

The author, an expert on service learning and a consultant on educational matters, analyzes what volunteering means on various educational levels, from primary schools through the university sector.

SHARED LOVE OF READING PAIRS LEGISLATORS AND STUDENTS
By Kathleen Kennedy Manzo

United States senators and their aides are adding a new dimension to their workaday lives by participating in a reading program in the primary schools of the District of Columbia, in the shadow of Capitol Hill. The author discusses the benefits both sides derive from this activity.

VOLUNTEERISM AND RELIGION: A U.S. MIDWESTERN PERSPECTIVE
By Paula Beugen and Jay Tcath

Volunteers play a front-line role within the religious sector of U.S. life. The authors, professional communal workers, shed light on the interaction of volunteers with churches, synagogues and mosques across the United States, as observed from the point of view of their own community -- the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota.

VOLUNTEERISM ON THE GLOBAL SCENE
By Susan J. Ellis

Ellis, a key player at international conferences on volunteerism, discusses U.S. citizens' efforts within the context of what is happening in other countries.

VOICES OF VOLUNTEERS
Men and women on the front lines of volunteerism briefly describe their feelings and their experiences.

RESOURCES

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND INTERNET SITES

U.S. Society & Values

USIA Electronic Journal

Volume 3, Number 2, September 1998

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U.S. Society & Values
USIA Electronic Journal, Vol. 3, No. 1, June 1998