Clinton Hails Volunteer Work, Asks Citizens’ Help

President Clinton, touting the importance of volunteer citizen service to the nation’s future, announced Saturday that he will propose legislation to extend several national programs for five more years, including AmeriCorps.

Wrapping up the holiday weekend, Clinton asked Americans in his weekly radio address to carry on the Thanksgiving spirit and observe the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday by volunteering their time to help others.

“Citizen service must be at the heart of our efforts to prepare America for the 21st century as we work to guarantee all Americans the opportunity and conditions to make the most of their own lives and to help those who need and deserve it with a hand up,” the president said.

Clinton pointed to the successful contributions of AmeriCorps thus far, with more than 100,000 young adults teaching children to read and building homes for those in need since 1993.

Clinton also wants to extend Learn and Serve America and the National Senior Service Corps.

In an additional effort to boost volunteerism, Clinton announced 73 grants for communities to conduct special events on the King holiday. Congress marked Jan. 19 as a day of service in 1994.

In the Republican response to the president’s address, Sen. John H. Chafee of Rhode Island, who initiated legislation overhauling the child welfare and adoption system, urged Americans to celebrate the Thanksgiving season by thinking about adopting abused or neglected children.

“We . . . must give them hope, faith and put an end to tragedy upon tragedy,” Chafee said.

Clinton recently signed the Adoption and Safe Families Act, which makes children’s safety--rather than family unification--a primary goal.

Previously, states were required to make “reasonable” efforts to put broken families back together before allowing children to be adopted. The new legislation gives states more latitude, calling instead for reasonable efforts to move eligible foster children toward adoption.

“As we celebrate this Thanksgiving season, please take up this personal challenge,” Chafee said. “Consider adopting a child. . . . More importantly, consider adopting a special-needs child--one who might require a little extra care but the same kind of special love.”