Serving Others is the Phoenix that has Risen From the Ashes of 9-11

Lansing, Michigan - September 10, 2002

Dear Friend of Service:

One year ago we all watched as our world changed, possibly forever.  As thousands died in the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and through what we now know as a heroic sacrifice in a remote field in Pennsylvania, our nation mourned and cried out for ways to help.  We felt helpless to affect the outcome of that eerily sunny day. 

Still, we as a nation found ways to channel our drive to respond in both surprising and expected ways.  We donated blood through the American Red Cross.  We gave socks to firemen at “Ground Zero” and the Pentagon.  We gave money to relief funds set up for the victims.  We answered a nation-wide call from President Bush to serve through the USA Freedom Corps.  We did all of this while being unable to look up at a tall building, board a plane, or think of the date 9-11 in the same way.

We could no longer see or hear certain things in the same way.  We found we could no longer take for granted our national security, community health, or local responsibilities for each other.  Today, we know that in order to lead lives consistent with our long-standing constitutional rights, liberties, protections, and common expectations, we must act.  Democracy is not something that we can put in a frame and mount on a wall or display once a year with a flag on the front porch.  Democracy and our support of it has to be learned, demonstrated, and practiced every day.  The debate over security vs. rights and liberties was waged long before September 11, 2001 and will continue.  However, our belief that we are our neighbor’s keeper and that we all must be involved in order to live in a healthy Democracy continues, albeit at differing levels of intensity. 

Many leaders have called citizens to service in times of tragedy.   We call our generation of WWII veterans a “great generation” because of the sacrifices they made to liberate Europe and respond to the invasion on Pearl Harbor.  When our nation was fraught with tension over the rights of its citizens regardless of color, people drew together to engage in civil disobedience for the institutionalization of civil rights.  Today, we find a generation of young people wanting to give back and make a difference, despite their general ambivalence toward the political process.  According to Independent Sector’s latest survey, nearly half of our nation volunteers on a regular basis.  Still, if we believe service is an important part of living in a civil society, 50 percent participation is not the gold standard.

The members of the Michigan Community Service Commission (MCSC) know that more needs to be done to encourage people to volunteer.  The MCSC works to engage the energies and passions of individuals through grants to nonprofit organizations for programs like AmeriCorps where Americans give a year or more of their life to service.  More than a thousand individuals in Michigan are a part of this National Service movement and many more work along side them to tutor children, clean up parks, provide safe shelter to the homeless, and care for those unable to care for themselves.  Other National Service programs work in similar ways to serve their communities including RSVP, Foster Grandparents, and Senior Companions.  National Service is instilling the importance of service to others through schools and youth-serving organizations with Learn and Serve programs.  These programs tie the learning outcomes of the classroom with real-world experiences through volunteering.  New projects and the revitalization of existing programs are being advanced through a new community-based effort known as Citizen Corps.   The Citizen Corps will bring together homeland security and volunteerism.  Interest in these programs has grown since September 11^th as people see opportunities to act locally to make our communities stronger.

Strong communities are one of the most enduring methods we have to fend off the threats to our safety, health, and quality of life.  The more we remain connected and involved in the lives of others, the more we will understand and recognize threats and challenges to our communities.  The best way to connect with others is to volunteer.  Maintaining the expectation of service could very well be the Phoenix that rises from the ashes of 9-11.

For more information on the MCSC and the volunteer programs it supports, visit our website at www.michigan.gov/mcsc.

Russell G. Mawby

Chair, Michigan Community Service Commission

Kyle Caldwell

Executive Director, Michigan Community Service Commission