What do these three people have in common? They were all speakers/performers at the 2009 National Service Conferance. (Anyone else insanely jealous like me? =)
Amanda and Shellie from the Volunteer Center attended the conference in San Fransisco. Here's Amanda's take on the conference...
Last weekend I returned from the National Conference on Volunteering and Service in San Francisco. As an AmeriCorps VISTA member, volunteerism is obviously important to me, but at the conference I saw that it is important to our administration, business leaders and celebrities, too.
First Lady Michelle Obama gave the keynote address last Monday, launching the United We Serve campaign, which will run until Sept. 11. It is an effort to get more volunteers engaged in service. Imagine my surprise when Jon Bon Jovi and Matthew McConaughey came out to show their support! Another great supporter is California First Lady Maria Shriver. More than 5,000 people, the largest crowd yet, came out to experience the conference.
I left the conference feeling pumped and energized. The biggest challenge is knowing how to bring the enthusiasm home. Michelle Obama stressed that the administration cannot do it alone. It is up to all of us to get involved in our communities and in the world to make positive change. It was encouraging to bring people from all fields together at the conference – the entertainment industry, which will dedicate the week of Oct. 19 to incorporate the theme of service into TV shows, commercials, etc.; the corporate world, who has started to see volunteerism as important as vacation time; technology experts, who realize that they must be partners in this exciting endeavor.
We must all work together to change the world.
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