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National Community Service Trust-Hearing Report, May 18, 1993
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147872575
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National Community Service Trust-Hearing Report, May 18, 1993
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Jacob "Jack" Lew's Files
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FOIA Number: 2013-0661-F
FOIA
MARKER
This is not a textual record. This is used as an
administrative marker by the William J. Clinton
Presidential Library Staff.
Collection/Record Group:
Clinton Presidential Records
Subgroup/Office of Origin:
Legislative Affairs
Series/Staff Member:
Jack Lew
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OA/ID Number:
2390
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Folder Title:
National Community Service Trust Act-Hearing Report, May 18, 1993
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Section:
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S
25
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1
OF FEDUCARD
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
OFFICE OF LEGISLATION AND CONGRESSIONAL AFFAIRS
PURPOSE: INFORMATION
REVIEW NEEDED BY:
DAY:
DATE:
TIME:
May 20, 1993
TO
:
The Secretary
The Deputy Secretary
M Exec Sec
FROM
:
Office of Legislation and
Congressional Affairs
MAY 21 II 56 AM '93
EXEC. SEC.
RECEIVED OS
SUBJECT :
Hearing Report
Attached is a hearing report on The National Community Service
Trust Act of 1993, entitled "Making a Difference: Domestic
Volunteer Service Programs." The hearing was held on May 18,
1993, by the Senate Subcommittee on Children, Family, Drugs and
Alcoholism.
If you have any questions or comments, please let us know.
Attachments
CC: Senior Officers
30521004
400 MARYLAND AVE., S.W. WASHINGTON, D.C. 20202-3100
Prepared by: K. Kae Rairdin
Testimony available: Yes
HEARING REPORT
SUBJECT:
Community Service Trust Act of 1993. Making
a Difference: Domestic Volunteer Service
Programs
COMMITTEE:
Senate Subcommittee on Children, Families,
Drug and Alcoholism
DATE:
May 18, 1993
MEMBERS PRESENT:
Chairman Dodd (D-CT), Senators Durenberger
(R-MN), Wellstone (D-MN), and Wofford (D-PA)
WITNESSES:
See attached list
Summary
This hearing was held following the full committee hearing on the
Community Service Trust Act of 1993. Chairman Dodd tried to
focus on individuals, their organizations and personal commitment
to individuals with serious needs. Witnesses from various
volunteer programs shared their accomplishments, personal
satisfaction, and the benefits received by the recipients.
Peter Edelman, Counselor to the Secretary of Health and Human
Services and Senior Advisor, White House Office of National
Service, spoke about President Clinton's call for a new ethic of
service. Edelman said "The American people are ready and eager
to give something back to our country, and they are prepared to
take individual responsibility to play a role in solving our
national problems. The Act will not create a big bureaucracy--
instead relying on local initiatives, and giving programs and
people the flexibility to meet the program's goals. The Act
builds the same spirit into a new Federal Corporation for
National Service. It will combine two existing independent
agencies, the Commission on National and Community Service and
ACTION. "
Margaret Goolsby, a VISTA volunteer talked of her experiences and
the work she was doing in her local community through the Central
Brooklyn Partnership. The Partnership is a coalition of 20 local
development corporations, churches and neighborhood institutions
Testimony - page 2
serving central Brooklyn. Central Brooklyn is comprised mostly
of low to moderate income wage earners, and home to the largest
African American/Caribbean community in North America. For years
it has been undeserved by the banking industry because of
redlining and disinvestment. Check cashing businesses, which
charge high fees for their services, are becoming the new
financial institutions serving low and moderate income people.
Working with the partners and the community, the Partnership
established a local credit union for that particular community.
W. William Cegelka, a VISTA volunteer in Windham, Connecticut
represents an impoverished region. The unemployment rate is 9.3%
and the average weekly earnings rate ranks among the lowest in
the state. He was charged with establishing a primary health
care clinic. His project is lowering the barriers to access by
conducting outreach programs that reach people at the front
lines, making services available to those most in need. The
clinic is based on a sliding scale fee, linked to a person's
income and ability to pay so that no one is denied necessary
primary care. He views the program not as one of entitlement,
but of empowerment. It benefits the community and changes lives.
He said he knew that it had changed his. He concluded his
remarks by saying "[A]fter all, what good is government, if we
cannot use government to do good. "
Kathleen Wilken, a VISTA worker in Minneapolis spoke of the Way
To Grow Program in her community and the type of services it
provides to low and moderate income families by using
collaboration and utilization of existing services and not the
implementation of new ones. Through the home visitors program
they are able to assist families in advocacy issues, obtaining
services for immunizations, insuring good prenatal care including
transportation and helping families network in the neighborhood.
Kathleen summed up her testimony by stating, "I have been able to
show my daughter the value of service and volunteerism.
Imparting values is one of the most important jobs any parent
has, and to me the idea of giving, with the expectation of
receiving nothing in return is a value I wanted to pass on to my
child."
Colonel Francis Fox Parry, USMC (Ret), and President of the
Board, Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) stated he had been
a volunteer for several years; however, an ad in a local
newspaper about Volunteer Executive Consultants brought him into
volunteerism in a big way. His organization provides senior
citizens to assist in the community serving the elderly, at-risk
students of all ages, and the infirmed. Colonel Parry summed up
his remarks by saying, "I am an enthusiastic supporter of RSVP
and an advocate for senior volunteers everywhere. We are a
valuable national resource which should be utilized to the extent
possible.'
Testimony - page 3
Wilhelmenia Mayden, a Foster Grandparent at the Emily Price Jones
Head Start Program in Baltimore stated she has been with the
program for seven years, including being a Foster Grandparent in
a mental institution. Her role is to reinforce basic educational
and social skills and provide love and nurturing to those
children in the program who have special or exceptional needs.
She stated that she believes that an Intergenerational network of
support is essential to the success of Head Start and the Foster
Grandparent Program can provide the foundation for any Head Start
Program.
Edith Courville serves as a senior companion in Central
Massachusetts. She visits elderly citizens each week, making
them lunch and providing various activities, including friendly
conversation. She states "Isolation, loneliness and despair is
an illness in itself. Medication is no cure. A visitor, a
Senior Companion is a welcome change in a daily routine. The
Senior Companion Program lets her help other people which makes
her feel good.
Helen Fiske is a Caregiver and the daughter of one of Ms.
Courville's clients. She talked about how much the program means
to her mother who is 89 years old and how much it has meant to
the family. She stated "My mother is a proud woman who wants to
remain independent. She wants to live in her own home
I do
not need to worry about my mother because Edie is there to visit
and she is not alone."
Chairman Dodd opened a discussion about the problems with
volunteering in general and VISTA in particular. What role
should the federal government play and how can we improve the
process?
Several of the witnesses indicated that most people were not
aware that the VISTA program was "still around" and many had
never heard of it. All witnesses indicated that once it was
explained, it had a very favorable reaction. Chairman Dodd said
the program had suffered from benign neglect over the years and
efforts should be made to heighten the awareness of the program.
He offered that employers should ask the prospective employees
about their past history of community involvement, and recruiters
for VISTA should go to the high schools to recruit volunteers.
Colleges should place consideration on admissions for those who
took time out to serve.
William Cegelka was asked what motivated him to join when he
didn't know about VISTA. He said his parents instilled a sense
of responsibility to others in him. He saw things that needed
changing and inquired about a domestic peace corp program. He
also said some recognition should be given to those who serve, as
they don't do it for the pay.
Testimony - page 4
Colonel Parry said that the federal government should provide the
seed money for the programs and the stability for continuation.
Government alone cannot do it; and it must be a coordinated
effort from the local government, businesses, churches, civic
organizations, and the community.
Chairman Dodd asked what made some programs so successful.
Kathleen Wilken told the committee that volunteers must come to
the program willing to listen to community needs, with no
preconceived ideas and the program must be developed from the
ground up utilizing the resources in the community.
Hearing of the Subcommittee on Children, Family, Drugs and Alcoholism
Making a Difference:
Domestic Volunteer Service Programs
May 18, 1993
Peter Edelman
Counselor to the Secretary
Department of Health and Human Services
Panel I -- Volunteers in Service to America
Margaret Goolsby, Brooklyn, New York
Former VISTA, Central Brooklyn Federal Credit Union
W. William Cegelka, Windham, Connecticut
VISTA, Windham Area Community Action Program
Kathleen Wilken, Minneapolis, Minnesota
VISTA, Way to Grow
Panel II -- Older American Volunteer Programs
Colonel Frank Parry, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
Retired Senior Volunteer Program and Chairman of the Board of
Directors for RSVP of Montgomery County
Wilhelmenia Mayden, Baltimore, Maryland
Foster Grandparent at the Emily Price Jones Head Start Center
Edith Courville, Worcester, Massachusetts
Senior Companion to Hilda Corbin
Helen Fiske, Worcester, Massachusetts
Daughter of Hilda Corbin