Announcement of the 1987
President's Volunteer Action Awards Program
President
Reagan today announced the sixth annual President's Volunteer Action Awards
Program to honor the outstanding volunteer achievement by individual citizens
and organizations. The President will present these awards at a White House
ceremony next spring. Award categories include the arts and humanities,
education, the environment, health, human services, international volunteering,
jobs, material resources, public safety, youth, and the workplace.
In
a unique, cooperative effort between the private sector and government,
VOLUNTEER: The National Center, a private, nonprofit volunteer support
organization, and ACTION, the Federal volunteer agency, are cosponsoring the
program for the sixth year. Funding for the program is provided by private
sector corporations and foundation sponsors.
In
announcing the program, the President said: ``From the foundation of our
Republic to the taming of the frontier, right up to modern times, voluntarism,
the idea of neighbor helping neighbor, has been one of the distinguishing marks
of the American experience and one of the primary causes of our nation's
greatness.''
VOLUNTEER,
a national organization supporting greater citizen involvement in community
problem-solving, provides technical assistance to volunteer-involving
organizations, public agencies, unions, and corporations. It works closely with
a network of over 250 associated Volunteer Action Centers and more than 1,500
other local, State, and national organizations. ACTION serves to stimulate
voluntarism and to demonstrate the effectiveness of volunteers in addressing
social problems. Its major programs include the Foster Grandparent, Retired
Senior Volunteer and Senior Companion programs for the elderly, Volunteers in
Service to America (VISTA), and a variety of programs for youth. ACTION also
promotes private sector initiatives by providing short-term grants to
innovative volunteer projects in such areas as literacy and drug abuse.
President Reagan presented
the fifth annual awards to 15 individuals and groups, 1 labor union, and 3
corporations at a White House luncheon on