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March 11, 2009 

Washington - AARP today applauded the Senate and the House of Representatives for taking important steps on legislation that will strengthen and expand civic engagement and volunteer opportunities at a time when many Americans are in great need. A statement from AARP Chief Operating Officer Tom Nelson on the Serve America Act (S. 277) and the G.I.V.E. Act (H.R. 1388) follows:

“AARP applauds Senators Edward M. Kennedy and Orrin Hatch and Representatives George Miller and Carolyn McCarthy for introducing bipartisan legislation that will usher in a new era of American service.

“AARP was founded on the principle of service. Today millions of people give back to their communities through either AARP or the AARP Foundation – helping others find work, access to benefits, get tax refunds, stay healthy and advocate on issues important to their families.

“Now is the time for movement on the Serve America Act, part of which is devoted to enhancing service opportunities for persons 50+, so they can apply a lifetime of acquired skills to help remedy a range of needs. AARP supports provisions that will improve the capacity of non-profit, service and philanthropic organizations to recruit, manage and engage more volunteers – including skilled volunteers – to help address people’s critical and growing service needs.

“During today’s House mark up of the G.I.V.E. Act, we strongly urge the House Committee on Education and Labor to support an amendment that includes the Volunteer Generation Fund and the Community Solutions Pilot. AARP believes this amendment is critical to local support and accountability, which allows existing service programs and service providers to effectively manage volunteers who heed the call to give back to their nation and the community.

“The 50+ community has the opportunity to lead the next generation of service: in a survey conducted for AARP last year, millions of boomers said that in the next five years, they want to increase their volunteer service to improve their communities and our world. Boomers stand ready to give, ready to do more, and ready to, as AARP’s founder said, ‘create the good.’

“AARP looks forward to working with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to improve how our country addresses its greatest problems by using its greatest resource – the American people.”