Obama: Expand National Service Programs by Tom Raum (AP)
Democrat Barack Obama on Wednesday advocated a major expansion of the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps and other national service programs, declaring, "This will be a cause of my presidency."
The Illinois senator said the government is not keeping pace with those who want to help. "We will create new opportunities for all of us to serve," he said at a rally at Cornell College.
Obama evoked the memory of President Kennedy and his Peace Corps volunteers, saying, "JFK made their service a bridge to the developing world." Despite growing anti-Americanism around the world, he said, "the American people are not the problem, they are the answer."
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His plan would:
• Expand AmeriCorps from its current 75,000 positions to 250,000, with new units to deal with education, clean energy, health care and homeland security.
• Expand service programs involving retired people and anyone over 55.
• Double the size of the Peace Corps from its current 7,800 volunteers to 16,000 by its 50th anniversary in 2011.
• Set goals for middle school and high school students to give 50 hours a year of public service, and for college students to serve 100 hours a year.
Speech Excerpt:
The Illinois senator said the government is not keeping pace with those who want to help. "We will create new opportunities for all of us to serve," he said at a rally at Cornell College.
Obama evoked the memory of President Kennedy and his Peace Corps volunteers, saying, "JFK made their service a bridge to the developing world." Despite growing anti-Americanism around the world, he said, "the American people are not the problem, they are the answer."
...
His plan would:
• Expand AmeriCorps from its current 75,000 positions to 250,000, with new units to deal with education, clean energy, health care and homeland security.
• Expand service programs involving retired people and anyone over 55.
• Double the size of the Peace Corps from its current 7,800 volunteers to 16,000 by its 50th anniversary in 2011.
• Set goals for middle school and high school students to give 50 hours a year of public service, and for college students to serve 100 hours a year.
Speech Excerpt: