Proclamation 6118—National Volunteer Week, 1990

Henry David Thoreau once observed that "goodness is the only investment that never fails." His fellow Americans have long agreed. Today millions of our citizens are carrying on a time-honored tradition of voluntary service and giving -- a tradition that is as old as the Nation itself.

It was volunteers who won America's independence, and it was neighbors helping each other on the frontier who enabled our nascent Republic to develop into the great and mighty Nation whose strength and prosperity new extend from shore to shore. Indeed, volunteers have been a powerful force behind the development of our Nation's laws and institutions ever since our ancestors first cradled the light of liberty and self-government. Volunteers have shaped our educational system; they have established and maintained our libraries and museums; they have helped to provide for the public safety; and they have furnished indispensable support to our churches and other religious organizations.

It is fitting that we pause to honor America's volunteers each spring, as we celebrate this season of hope and renewal. Through their continuous efforts to strengthen and enrich our communities, volunteers not only bring hope to others but also renew our faith in the ideals upon which this Nation was founded. By reaffirming the dignity and worth of the individual and the power of collective action, volunteers help the United States to experience a "new birth of freedom" each day. Time and again, these generous and hardworking individuals demonstrate that ours is, indeed, a "government of the people, by the people, and for the people."

This week we salute the millions of volunteers who help to ensure that their fellow Americans enjoy freedom from injustice and freedom from fear and want. They are a force of nearly half of our adult citizens who devote their time to uplifting those encumbered by substance abuse, homelessness, and illiteracy. They are older men and women who comfort chemically dependent "boarder babies" in our inner-city hospitals. They are young professionals who befriend AIDS victims or disadvantaged children in need of positive role models. They are couples who counsel and shelter single mothers or foster children, and they are teenagers who collect canned goods for needy families. Because of dedicated volunteers like these, there is no problem in America that is not being solved somewhere.

Whether expressed as small acts of kindness toward a neighbor or as a lifelong commitment to a noble cause, the goodness and generosity of the American people is one of our Nation's greatest strengths. Thus, it is with great appreciation and pride that I salute the 80 million Americans who serve as volunteers. These indivduals have moved us all by the strength of their convictions; they have gently challenged us through their example of selflessness and concern for others; and they have shown us that any definition of a successful life must include serving others.

Now, Therefore, I, George Bush, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim the week of April 22 through April 28, 1990, as National Volunteer Week. I ask all Americans to join in saluting and thanking our Nation's volunteers, as well as the organizations that support their efforts. I also encourage every American to take part in appropriate events and activities in observance of National Volunteer Week and in celebration of all that volunteers do for our country throughout the year.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 23rd day of April, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fourteenth.

GEORGE BUSH