Posts Tagged ‘Change Notes’

Change Notes: Media Praise for generationOn

Thursday, December 9th, 2010

"Volunteer"

Friends,

I’m excited to share with you several recent media stories about Points of Light Institute, specifically about our newly launched global youth movement, generationOn.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy: On November 28 it featured two related articles, one about the many resources generationOn brings together to empower young people to transform the world and how the Hasbro Children’s Fund is generously supporting those efforts.  The other article talks about the desire of families to volunteer together and ways to make that possible.

Here are the links:

A New Effort to Teach Kids to Help Others and

Recruiting Families to Volunteer

volunteer volunteering volunteerismUSA Weekend magazine: Over the past weekend, it recapped this year’s 20th Make A Difference Day, which it co-sponsored with HandsOn Network and Newman’s Own. It mentioned our launch of generationOn that fittingly included service projects and a tribute to extraordinary change-makers at The Extra Mile – Points of Light Volunteer Pathway in D.C.  It noted our celebrity participants Madison Pettis and Corbin Bleu, and a nine-year-old volunteer who declared her experience packing toys as the “best day ever!”.  It also noted the participation of Obama Cabinet members, including Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, in a KaBOOM! Playground build.

Here is the link: You Made a Difference.

Mommy blog: “Queen Mom” mentioned Hasbro’s match of a Toys for Tots gift for each generationOn service pledge through December 10, capturing the true meaning of the season. She said that her children were helped by Toys for Tots in tough times past, and urged folks to encourage their kids to make pledges at www.generationon.org.

Here is the link:  Teach Your Kids to Give Back
In service,

Michelle Nunn

CEO, Points of Light Institute, and Co-Founder, HandsOn Network

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George and Barbara Bush and Points of Light on Larry King Live

Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010

"Volunteer"

Friends,

In a wonderfully warm and far-ranging interview with Larry King on CNN last night, President George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush talked with wit, candor, and grace about their lives, their closely-knit family, current politics, and the importance of service and, in particular, Points of Light Institute.

“Points of Light is a movement… volunteerism means a lot to me. Government cannot do everything,” said President Bush, who originated the phrase “1000 points of light” in an inaugural speech.

George and Barbara BushOur Points of Light board chair, Neil Bush, paid tribute to his parents in a video aired during the show, talking about the importance of volunteerism in their lives.  “They devoted their lives to serving others,” he said, obviously moved by this chance to honor his parents.  They in turn lauded Neil’s commitment and work with Points of Light and his spirit of thoughtfulness, generosity, and compassion.

The Bushes talked about the Points of Light Institute Tribute event, which will honor them at the Kennedy Center on March 21 in DC, saying they were looking forward to it.  Said Barbara Bush, “I’m excited by it.  There will be lots of celebrities and entertainers, less talking. It’s not a speech night; we hope people will be entertained.  It is a fundraiser for Points of Light” to continue its important work.  Added President Bush,  “We don’t get to Washington much…this is a nice way of getting back to Washington.”

Neil BushWhat came through so clearly in the hour-long interview is the devotion of each family member to each other and to the way that the service ideals exemplified in the lives of President and Barbara Bush have been carried through the generations by their children and grandchildren.  Video excerpts from the interview are available here.

The Tribute event at the Kennedy Center in DC in March will bring together celebrities and entertainers, national and international leaders, current and former officeholders from both sides of the aisle, and many great American citizens to honor President and Barbara Bush.  The event will celebrate their leadership in founding and advancing the modern-day voluntary service movement and pay tribute to the exceptional American ideal of voluntary action.  President Bill Clinton is the Honorary Chairman for this historic occasion, which will also be the culminating moment for Points of Light Institute’s $30 million Service Generation Campaign.

To honor President Bush and to engage the nation in this celebration, we are inviting all Americans to recognize points of light in their lives and communities, make their own pledge to serve, and take the opportunity to write a Tribute message to President and Mrs. Bush. We hope to collect thousands of tributes to share with them.

President Obama recently recognized President George H.W. Bush with a Presidential Medal of Freedom, our nation’s highest civilian honor.  The President said of the medal recipients, “All of them have lived extraordinary lives that have inspired us, enriched our culture, and made our country and our world a better place.”

President George and Barbara Bush have exemplified lives of service and set in motion the modern service movement, which has been extended by each successive President and embraced by the American people.  As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week, we are grateful for their leadership and thankful for all that they have inspired in the millions of “points of light” across our nation who are changing lives and making a difference in communities every day.

Yours in service,

Michelle Nunn

CEO, Points of Light Institute

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Change Notes: The Power of One

Friday, April 2nd, 2010

Friends,

I recently read an article in The New York Times featuring “organic farm mobbing.” Hundreds of individuals converge in a crop mob, called by text messages to help local farmers harvest their organic crops.  This is not your typical nonprofit organizational mobilization, but it is representative of new patterns of engagement and mobilization in which citizens are helping neighbors in generative and creative ways.

We are seeing new patterns of citizen activation enabled by technology and tools that are changing our civic landscape.  Social networking tools and new mobile phone technology now enable people to convene and take action in ways that were formerly impossible.  The communications revolution has dramatically lowered the transaction costs of people working together.  These self-organizers, or self-led volunteers, take the initiative to improve their communities in ways that resonate with their skills and passions.

The Obama campaign demonstrated the revolutionary potential of new media and mobilization with the engagement of more than 35,000 volunteer groups and more than 200,000 self-organized events.  I recently heard David Plouffe, the chief strategy leader of the Obama campaign, talk about the changing currents of political and social action.  He said that in four to six years, the Obama campaign’s revolutionary technology activation tools will seem archaic.

Clearly we are just scratching the surface of the possible in harnessing the power of individuals and their capacity to unite in common purpose to create change.  The pace of transformation is extraordinary, and the opportunities for creative and high-impact new pathways for civic engagement are within our reach.  To take advantage of this revolution, we must be nimble, open, and forward thinking.  And we must combine the power of organizations and the voluntary sector with the energy, vision, and tools in order to realize these transformational possibilities.

The Power of Many

For those looking to tap into these possibilities and create change using the latest social tools and technologies, the upcoming LEAD – A Get HandsOn! Summit in Washington, D.C., will be a unique and powerful way to learn cutting-edge ways to engage citizens.  Social innovators will share experiences such as locating disaster victims with cell phones, convening tens of thousands of volunteers for one-day projects, and organizing new forms of neighboring through Web-based technologies.

The Summit takes place Tuesday, April 20, at the Newseum, and there are still a few slots available. If you or a volunteer leader you know would like to attend, please click here.

Speakers include Richard Harwood, founder of the Harwood Institute; Allison Fine, author and social change connoisseur, and Heather Mansfield, social media expert. James “JB” Brown, AARP Brand Ambassador for Community and Host of CBS’ NFL Today and Showtime’s Inside the NFL, will moderate.  Please click here to learn about other dynamic thought leaders who will be presenting at LEAD.

LEAD – A Get HandsOn! Summit, sponsored by University of Phoenix and SAP, is one of the activities and events planned during National Volunteer Week, a celebration of volunteer leaders and their achievements. This year also commemorates the first anniversary of the landmark Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act and the Volunteer Generation Fund.

We hope that you will join us and that we can learn together about the dynamism of turning the power of one into the power of many to create new scale and impact.

In Service,

Michelle Nunn

CEO, Points of Light Institute

Co-Founder, HandsOn Network

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