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United Methodist Church, Grand Rapids, MI, January 15, 1970
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4526243
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United Methodist Church, Grand Rapids, MI, January 15, 1970
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Gerald R. Ford Congressional Papers
Speeches
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1970
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1970
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The original documents are located in Box D28, folder "United Methodist Church, Grand
Rapids, MI, January 15, 1970" of the Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and
Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Copyright Notice
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of
photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The Council donated to the United
States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.
Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public
domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to
remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid
copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
NOTES FOR UNITED METHODIST CHURCH SPEECH
Jan.15,1970
(Jerry: the pastor wants a spedch that will stimulate
his people to become "involved" in solving community
problems and so the following is along that line.)
AMERICA HAS PASSED THROUGH YEARS OF TURMOIL IN WHICH
THE CALL REPEATEDLY HAS BEEN FOR MORE MASSIVE FEDERAL
SPENDING FOR FEDERAL SOLUTIONS TO E VERY PROBLEM. FOR
A MARSHALL PLAN FOR THE CITIES.
LET US ANALYZE THESE DEMANDS. IS TOTAL FEDERAL ACTION
GERALD FORD RARI THE
ANSWER? IS MASSIVE FEDERAL SPENDING THE SOLUTION?
WE HAVE GONE THAT ROUTE BEFORE, THE PROBLEMS PERSIST, AND
SO WE MUST CONCLUDE THAT SOME ELEMENT OF THE REMEDY IS
2/
MISSING.
OF COURSE GOVERNMENT HAS AN IMPORTANT ROLE TO PLAY
IN SOLVING AMERICA'S PROBLEMS. BUT GOVERNMENT ALONE
CANNOT PROVIDE THE ANSWERS. MONEY ALONE DOES NOT
BRING SOLUTIONS.
COMPASSIONATE STUDY OF THE MILLIONS OF PERSONAL
TRAGEDIES THAT STILL PLAGUE US IN AMERICA POINTS TO
THE ALL-IMPORTANT ELEMENT THAT IS MISSING IN THE
REMEDIAL MIX. THE HUMAN ELEMENT, THE ELEMENT THAT PUT
AMERICA ON THE PATH TO GREATNESS FROM ITS EARLIEST DAYS.
Digitized from Box D28 of the Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
3/
I AM SPEAKING ABOUT THE XXXXZKX ELEMENT THAT MAKES
COMMUNITY CLINICS IN HARD-CORE POVERTY ARE AS SUCCEED,
THE ELEMENT THAT MAKES THE 6N*THE*JOB TRAINING EFFORTS
OF THE NATIONAL ALIIANCE OF BUSINE SSMEN PAY OFF FOR THE
HARD CORE UNEMPLOYED, THEEXX ELEMENT THAT TRULY MAKES
LIFE WORTH LIVING...THE GREAT QUIET DRAMA OF EX MAN
HELPING MAN
IN RECENT YEARS WE HAVE SEEN MANY
AMERICANS, PARTICUIARLY THE YOUNG, AT WAR WITH THE
4/
MACHINERY AND THE MEN OF GOVERNMENT. WHAT THEY CALL
THE SYSTEM.
HOW MUCH MORE THEY MIGHT ACCOMPLISH IF THEY WOULD
JOIN HANDS IN SOME CONSTRUCTIVE EFFORT...A SLUM
CLEANUP PROJECT OR THE R GANIZING OF CLASSES WHICH
TEACH THE BACKWARD HOW TO APPLY FOR A
FORD
JOB OR SIMPLY HOW TO PERFORM THE ROUTINE TASKS OF
EVERYDAY LIVING, PERSONAL XIX HYGIENE AND THE LIKE.
LIBRARY
wg
I SAID THERE IS AN IMPORTANT ROIE FOR GOVERNMENT
THERE IS. AND THERE IS LIKEWISE A VITAL PART TO BE PLAYED
5/
BY PRIVATE BUSINE SS IF THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN XMPXRX
AMERICA IS TO BE IMPROVED FOR ALL XK OUR PEOPLE.
BUT FULLY AS IMPORTANT AS THESE EFFORTS IS A THIRD...
HELP FOR THEKE LESS FORTUNATE BY PEOPLE WHO CARE. ONLY
IF THIS PERSONAL ELEMENT IS RESTORED TO AMERICAN LIFE, IS
PRACTICED AS IT WAS BY THE PIONEERS WHO HELPED EACH OTHER
LEST ALL SHOULD PERISH, CAN WE X TRULY SUCCEED IN AMERICA.
FORD
THE POTENTIAL FOR INDI VIDUAL GOOD IN AMERICA IS
TREMENDOUS.
GERALD
LIBRARY
6/
THERE ARE XX MORETHAN THAN A MILLION INDEPENDENT,
VOLUNTARY ORGANIZATIONS IN AMERICA TODAY. THERE ARE
320,000 CHUR CHES, WITH MORE THAN A MILLION NEMEMBE MEMBERS.
THERE ARE 2,000 UNITED FUNDS AND COMMUNITY CHESTS, 3,500
VOLUNTARY HOSPITALS, 6,000 PRIVATE FOUNDATIONS, MORE THAN
100,000 VOLUNTARY WELFARE AGENCIES. THIRTY-SIX MILLION
AMERI CANS BELONG TO FRATERNAL AND SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS.
BUT, YQU MAY SAY, ALL OF THESE VOLUNTARY ORGANIZATIONS
ARE FUNCTIONING NOW IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. YES, IN ONE
WAY OR ANOTHER. BUT THERE ARE MILLIONS OF AMERICANS WHO
7/
HAVE NOT BEEN DRAWN INTO THIS GREAT WORK, THE THIS
WONDERFUL ACTIVITY BY WHICH NEX MAN DRAWS CLOSEST TO
GOD, THIS WORK OF BROTHER HELPING BROTHER.
THE GALLUP POLLING ORGANIZATIONEX HAS ESTIMATED THAT
61 MILLION ADULT AMERICANS WOULD BE WILLING TO CONTRIBUTE
245 MILLION MAN*HOURS A WEEK TO VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES.
AND WHAT OF THOSE WHO DO NOT EXPRESS WILLINGNESS BUT
NEED ONLY SOME KIND OF STIMULUS TO BECOMEXX INVOLVED?
LIBRA
THINK OF WHAT ALL OF THESE VOLUNTEERS COULD E ACCOMPLISH!
AS IN THE DAYS OF PIONEER AMERICA, THIS IS THE MOST
IMPORTANT DIMENSION OF THE AMERICAN SPIRIT. IT IS ALSO
8/
THE MEASURE OF A NEGLECTED OPPORTUNITY.
AS YOU MAY KNOW, THE PRESIDENT IS SETTING IN MOTION
A VOLUNTARY ACTION PROGRAM ИНХЕИХИ AIMED AT ENLISTING
MANY MORE MILLIONS OF AMERICANS IN PRIVATE EFFORTS TO
HELP SOLVE COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL ILLS. THAT VOLUNTARY
ACTION PROGRAM IS HEADED BY OUR FORMER GOVERNOR, HOUSING
AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT SECRETARY GEORGE ROMNEY.
WHAT THE ADMINISTRATION IS SEEKING TO DO IS TO PROVIDE
ANSWERS FOR THIS E WHO WANT TO I AKE UP FRESX THE LATE
IBRARY
PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY'S CHALLENGE: 'ASK NOT WHAT
9/
WI YOUR COUNTRY C AN DO FOR YOU, BUT WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR
YOUR COUNTRY.'
THE NEED IS FOR VOLUNTARY ACTION, ACTION GEARED TO THE
PROBLEMS OF THE INDIVIDUAL WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, AND
RESPONSIVE TO HIS DREAMS AND HIS XX HOPES.
AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, ONE SUCH ACTION PROGRAM MIGHT
TEACHING
BE CENTERED ON
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES
HOW TO
APPLY FOR A JOB. IN DETROIT, VOLUNTEERS WORKING AT ONE
ACTION CENTER FOUND THAT 65 BER CENT OF THE GRADUATES IN
THAT AREA WERE NOT WORKING THREEN MONTHS AFTER THEY FINISHED
10/
SCHOOL SAMRLXZEX IARGELY BECAUSE THEY DID NOT KNOW WHERE
TO GO OR X HOW TO XXXXX APPLY. THE DETROIT CENTERNI HAS
GIVEN THEM THE BACKGROUND AND, WORKING THROUGH ANOTHER
VOLUNTEER GROUP, HAS HELPED THEM GET JOBS AND KEEP THEM.
THIS IS THEKX KIND OF STUFF THAT BUILT AMERICANXXX...
THE KIND DE OF EFFORT THAT EXXE MADE ITS DREAMS FLOWER
INTO BOUNGIFUL REALITY.
THIS IS BASIC WISDOM. THIS IS THE ONLY I SOUND WAY TO
BUILD A GREAT AMERICA. IT'S NOT ENOUGH JUST TO SIT BACK,
11/
PAY OUR TAXES AND PERSONALLY OBEY THE LAW. WE ALL HAVE
TO T AKE A HAND IN RIGHTING WRONGS AND HELPING OUR BROTHERS
TO HELP THEMSELVES.
WE KNOW FROM EXPERIENCE THAT THE GOOD WE SEND OUT INTO
THE LIVES OF OTHERS COMES BACK A HUNDREDFOLD INTO OUR OWN.
THERE IS JOY IN HELPING OTHERS, BECAUSE IN HELPING OTHERS
WE ARE MOST LIKE THE SON OF GOD. AND THIS, INDEED, SHOULD
BE THE GOAL OF US ALL.
FORD is LIBRARY
####
NOTES
GRAND RAPIDS JAN. 15, 1970
Congress of the United States
Office of the Minority Leader
Herald R. Ford
house of Representatives
M.C.
Washington, D.C. 20515
-
OFFICIAL BUSINESS
UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
GERALD LIBRARY R. FORD