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    "localId": "4525871",
    "label": "Central Volunteers Luncheon, Grand Rapids (telephone speech), September 24, 1965",
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    "id": "4525871",
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    "title": "Central Volunteers Luncheon, Grand Rapids (telephone speech), September 24, 1965",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/4525871",
    "collections": [
        "Gerald R. Ford Congressional Papers",
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    ],
    "subjects": [
        "Communism",
        "Voluntarism"
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    "ocrText": "The original documents are located in Box D18, folder \"Central Volunteers Luncheon,\nGrand Rapids (telephone speech), September 24, 1965\" of the Ford Congressional Papers:\nPress Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nCopyright Notice\nThe copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of\nphotocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The Council donated to the United\nStates of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.\nWorks prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public\ndomain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to\nremain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid\ncopyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nDigitized from Box D18 of The Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library\nTelephone speech\nCentral Volunteers luncheon\nGrand Rapids Sept. 24, 1965\nnot\nNaturally, I am disappointed that I am in Grand Rapids\nwith you today. I hope you understand that work in the House of\nRepresentatives prevents a personal visit with you.\nWhile talking with you by telephone today, I am looking out of\nmy office window in the Capitol. It is a magnificant view of the\nWashington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, the Mall and\nthe national shrine of democracy.\nask\nLooking at the heartland of the American republic, I when we\nlook at ourselves as citizens of this democracy if we wonder what\nmakes us tick.\nWe clamor for speed laws that will stop fast driving, but we won't buy\na car that won't make at least 100 miles an hour.\nWe have more food to eat than any other country and more\ndiets to keep us from eating it.\nWe know the line-up of major league baseball teams, but we don't know\nall the words of the \"Star Spangled Banner.\"\nAnd, it's suprising how many Americans visit the Capitol and think\nit is the White House.\n-more-\nGERALD FORD LIBRARY\nVolunteers\n-2-\nWe may appear inconsistent, but there is a long line of consistency\nthat started in the beginnings of our country that has run down to\nour own time---it is a consistency in the essential and lasting\nvalues.\nI have a personal reason, aide from others, for being happy in\nhelping celebrate the 20th anniversary of Central Volunteers.\nMy father was among those who founded this agency of human kindness\nand service to others. He often talked about the work of this dedicated\ngroup of citizens. I'm sure he looked upon his part in helping to\nserve\nestablish the organization as a real opportunity to his beloved\ncommunity.\nIt is heart-warming, especially in these turbulent times, to see\ndedicated bandwarf citizens put others ahead of themselves.\nhas\nCentral Volunteers for 20 years increase achieved two major goals\nthe agency has\ntherehave provided much-needed manpower and has given\nindividuals opportunities to occupy their free time in a rewarding manner.\nThousands of citizens have set spleddid examples for others. The community\nhas a grateful heart for the blessing ofthose who are so mindful of\nthe needs of others.\n-more-\nVolunteers\n-3-\nIn the troubled times of today, it is only natural that the material\naspects of our responsibilities should give us so much concern and demand\nso much of our attention.\nOur entire way of life is under attack by an enemy motivated and guilded\nby a materialistic philosophy. We cannot afford to neglect those things\nin which the enemy professes strength, and by which the enemy\nseeks to dominate the world. If we did otherwise, we would fail\nto meet the challenge which is laid before us.\nDespite this urgency, we must not forget our responsibilities\nto the spiritual and human aspects of our freedom. It These\nresponsibilities distinguish us from our enemy, and constitute our\ngreatest strength.\nCentral Volunteers as a group has maintained the responsibilities\nto the spiritual and human aspects by the unselfish giving of\ntime and talent to meet the needs of the community.\nIt is notable that volunteers come from all segments of the community\nteenagers, senior citizens, businessmen and homemakers and from\n35 church and service organization groups.\nVolunteers exemplify the responsibility of faith.\n-more-\nFORD & LIBRARY GERALD\nCentral Volunteers\nto\nour freedoms\nFor a few minutes this noon I would like to discuss that\ngo\nnees hand-in-hand with the responsibility of faith.\nThe freedom of enterprise the freedom of initiative the freedom\nof election long a part of our way of life must bd guarded\nand protected.\nthose\nThere are in the world today who envy and fear us. They are\nenvious and fearful of our priceless freedom, which is the source of\nour strength. it constitutes the greatest threat to their\nheavy-handed, iron-fisted power over hundreds of millions of people.\nThe freedom of America threatens the enemy's aspirations to ruthlessly\ndominate the world.\nCommunist\nconscious\nThe 1 rulers of their failures and inability to\nthose they led to forego freedom, have turned their efforts toward\nthe free world. They generate unrest and disastisfaction. They\ninvade. They commit futhless agression.\nLeaders of the Communist conspiracy know full well that the existence\nof freedom is the most immediate and direct threat to their power.\nThe United States, because it is spiritually and materially the\nwealthiest nation on earth, is the principal target of the Communist\nconspiracy.\nWe, of course, are not alone in our struggle against world Communism.\nR.FORD\nOther nations enjoy freedom and cherish it as we clarks\ndo.\n-more-\nCentral Volunteers\n-5-\nAs President Eisenhower so aptly stated: \"more closely than ever\nbefore, American freedom is interlocked with the freedom of other\npeople. In the task of maintaining unity, the greatest responsibility\nfalls to those who, like ourselves, retain the most freedom and the\nmost strength.\"\nAs concerned as we must be with the international aspects of our\nresponsibilities as free men, we must not neglect our obligation to\nmaintain\na strong and developing economy at home.\nTo achieve this goal, all segments of our people must cooperate/ None\nmust seek to gain an unfair advantage at the expense of another.\nthe\nIt is in this area of cooperation and service that Central Volunteers\nagency has set an exceptional example.\nWhile there are differences among us as to how our prosperity\ncan best be obtained, we must never permit them to become crystallized\ninto class attitudes. It is the theory of class struggle pitting man\nagainst man that the modern Communist hopes to create dissension among\nus and to weaken our cause.\nOur prosperity must be maintained through the medium of private enterprise\nand initiative. This freedom must be preserved, for it is the foundation\nupon which our structure of liberty rests.\nWe must preserve and strengthen the right of every man to formulate\nand hold to his own opinions on religious, political, and social\nBERALD FORD LIBRARY\nquestions.\n-more-\nCentral Volunteers\n-6-\nLiberty, of course, is not license. To advocate and defend freedom of\nspeech and discussion does not mean that we must not protect ourselves\nagainst those who naively and willfully abuse them.\nAnother primary responsibility imposed upon us as free men is that\nof educating our children in the ways of freedom. We must give to\nthem a full appreciation and understanding of the values which\nhave made this Nation a great one.\nIf my add a footnote\nI salute all the young people who give\nof themselves as Central Volunteers. Young men and young women\nseta splendid example of service for others to follow.\n-more-\nQERALD FORD\nVolunteers\n7\nAs a Nation we may build the strongest defense, acquire the greatest\nwealth, and prosper in all material things, but our accomplishments\nwill have little meaning if they do not rest upon a firm spiritual\nfoundation.\nIt was strength of spirit which made possible the founding of this\nnation. It was that S trength which supported it through its adversities.\nWe must renew and replenish that S trength. We can set our guidelines\nby following the spledid example set by Central Volunteers and\nall others who give unselfishly of themselves.\nWith faith in God, faith in ourselves, and faith in our freedom,\nwe will S urmount the obstacles in our paths. We will establish a\nsecure and meaningful peace in a world where free men may work and live\nwithout fear.\nI join in applauding the Central Volunteers agency an organization\nservice\ndedicated to A dedicated to\nthe principle of putting the needs of others first... dedicated\nto the concept that we are our brother's keeper dedicated\nto the task of accepting the responsibilities of citizenship.\nThank you for inviting me to share this experience with you on\nthe 20th anniversary of Central Volunteers.\n# # #"
}