Jonathan Greenblatt: Everyone Serves
Originally posted on The Huffington Post
It’s time to retire the confetti and take take down the streamers. For too long we have talked about philanthropy in hushed tones. People laud the idea of service as if it were a black art practiced only by a few. Occasionally a Hollywood type will grace the public with some act of charity, often seemingly to burnish their image. Yet we need to avoid the “celebritization” of service and advocate a fundamental truth. It is a path that everyone can take. We have moved beyond the moment when service is a privilege undertaken by a few, and embrace a new reality — today, everyone can serve.
Some do it in small, almost unnoticed ways — recycling their waste, growing their own vegetables, caring for a sick neighbor, helping someone cross the street. Others work in public institutions, start a pet adoption program, adopt a patch of highway, join the military. Some will commit to a marathon or AIDS Ride, start-up new nonprofit organizations, open new charter schools, perhaps even launch a socially-responsible business.
But all these actions matter. Indeed, everyone serves — at least, everyone must serve.
President Obama has called on the American people to launch volunteerism. In this new century, we need a new foundation for growth in America — and this foundation will be built “one community at a time” as the President aptly reminds us.
Continue reading at The Huffington Post
Photo by EnergeticNYC
- Posted by Causecast
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