Last week, as our nation inaugarated a new President it was hard not to feel as though we have entered a new era. In fact, President Obama stated as much in his inaugaral address saying in part, "What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, the nation and the world. This is the price and the promise of citizenship". Just the day before, President Obama had backed up his message by volunteering at the Sasha Bruce House, a shelter for teenagers in Washington DC, where he helped paint the interior.
American companies have also stepped up with programs designed to get Americans involved in our own well-being. Starbucks has challenged customers to commit 1 million hours to community service. Target is donating 5% of their income through community service grants for programs that support education, arts, social services and volunteerism.
Hollywood starts Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore have produced a video entitled, "The Presidential Pledge" in which Hollywood stars renew their commitment to volunteerism and civic engagement. The video can be accessed at the following link: http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.channel&ChannelID=441715416
My question to you this week is, "What can you pledge in 2009 to help your community, your school, your nation or your planet?" "How do you plan to carry this out?" Answers must be at least 10 sentences long and are due by Friday, February 6th at 8:00 a.m.
