President's Council on Service and Civic Participation and ServiceNation Join the...

President's Council on Service and Civic Participation and ServiceNation Join
the Growing Effort to Observe 9/11 as a National Day of Charitable Service
MyGoodDeed.org, formed by friends and relatives of 9/11 victims to promote
9/11 as a day of service, continues to win influential support as the 7th
anniversary of the terrorist attacks approaches

NEW YORK, Aug. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- The grassroots initiative to transform
9/11 into an annually recognized national day of charitable service, which
last week encouraged Senators John McCain and Barack Obama to observe a
campaign moratorium this 9/11, continues to gain steam as America once again
approaches the anniversary of the terrorist attacks. MyGoodDeed.org, the
nonprofit founded in 2003 by friends and relatives of 9/11 victims, announced
that it has picked up two important allies this year -- newly formed
ServiceNation, a powerful coalition of more than 600 nonprofit groups from
around the country which will host the two presidential candidates in a forum
on civic engagement on September 11 in New York, and the President's Council
on Service and Civic Participation. MyGoodDeed.org (http://www.mygooddeed.org)
already is actively supported by numerous prominent officials, corporations
and leading nonprofits, including U.S. Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and
Charles Schumer, U.S. Representative Peter King, actor Gary Sinise, Habitat
for Humanity, American Red Cross, Citizen Corps, Youth Service America and
Points of Light & Hands on Network. The group is also supported by all of the
major 9/11 family and support organizations.
"The anniversary of September 11 should be officially recognized as a
national day of charitable service to honor the 9/11 victims, volunteers and
rescue and recovery workers of Ground Zero," said David Paine, president of
MyGoodDeed.org. "All of us can best honor the memory of those lost by engaging
in good deeds, community service and other charitable acts to rekindle the
remarkable spirit of unity that existed following the 9/11 tragedy."
Both ServiceNation and the President's Council on Service and Civic
Participation have said they plan to participate this year in 9/11 service
projects organized by MyGoodDeed.org, along with the organization's partner
New York Cares. New York Cares enables nearly 40,000 New Yorkers each year to
serve on hands-on volunteer projects benefiting schools, social service
agencies, homeless shelters, and other deserving organizations.
The President's Council on Service and Civic Participation said that a
number of its members, many of whom are celebrities and prominent public
figures, are expected to attend MyGoodDeed.org's service project on September
11 at PS 124, a public elementary school in the Chinatown community in
downtown Manhattan.
The 25-member Council, created by Executive Order of the President of the
United States in 2003, includes actors Stephen Baldwin, Patricia Heaton and
Hillary Duff; NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne; Art Linkletter; journalist Cokie
Roberts; and other prominent individuals. The Council was established to
recognize the important contributions Americans of all ages are making within
their communities through service and civic engagement.
Shannon Maynard, executive director, President's Council on Service and
Civic Participation said, "MyGoodDeed is a great initiative with a powerful
mission. Along with the members of the President's Council on Service and
Civic Participation, I am looking forward to serving with other volunteers on
September 11th in honor of all of the individuals who lost their lives on
9/11, and to show the giving spirit of America that shined so bright in the
days following the attacks."
PS 124 is located at 40 Division Street in Manhattan, with volunteer
activities beginning at 11 a.m. and ending at 2 p.m. For more information,
contact info@MyGoodDeed.org.
Earlier this month, ServiceNation announced plans to hold a major summit
meeting on national service in New York City on September 11-12, expected to
be attended by more than 500 influential delegates from throughout the
nonprofit community. Caroline Kennedy and Alma Powell are co-chairing the
event, and organizers have already confirmed the participation of U.S.
Senators Barack Obama and John McCain, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg,
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and other nationally prominent
figures.
Many of these delegates are also expected to attend MyGoodDeed.org service
activities on 9/11.
MyGoodDeed recently won the support of both Presidential candidates, who
agreed to honor MyGoodDeed.org's request that they suspend campaigning and
negative advertising on the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks this
year, and instead engage in voluntary service.
Millions Inspired to Observe 9/11 Through Service
Each year since the 9/11 attacks, the MyGoodDeed.org movement has grown to
inspire millions of people from around the nation and world to perform good
deeds, volunteer and engage in other charitable and civic activities on the
anniversary of the attacks, in honor of the victims, volunteers and rescue and
recovery workers. In 2007, more than 300,000 good deeds were posted on the
MyGoodDeed.org Website (http://www.MyGoodDeed.org), by participants from all
50 U.S. states and 150 different countries and territories. A Yahoo feature
story about the organization that appeared on 9/11 in 2007 generated more than
500,000 clicks in just six hours.
Founded in 2003 by two close friends, David Paine and Jay Winuk, following
the death of Jay's brother, attorney and volunteer firefighter Glenn Winuk,
who perished in the line of duty on September 11, 2001, MyGoodDeed.org has
gained widespread bipartisan and bicameral support. In 2004, the MyGoodDeed
organization worked closely with Congressional leaders to secure unanimous
passage of H. Con. Res. 473, urging the designation of 9/11 as a national day
of service, charity and compassion.
In 2007, for the first time, President George Bush included specific
references to volunteerism in his annual Proclamation in recognition of 9/11.
Organizations providing financial support this year to MyGoodDeed.org
include American Express, Ambac Corporation, Keefe Bruyette and Woods, AOL,
Google and Yahoo. For more information, visit http://www.myGoodDeed.org.
Contact: Susan Roth
301-530-3539
prsue@rothpr.com

SOURCE MyGoodDeed.org

Susan Roth for MyGoodDeed.org, +1-301-530-3539, prsue@rothpr.com