His son, Pres. George W. Bush said, “I too am here to give to this fine fund, and I want to thank all the volunteers, but I’m here for another reason. I speak for the folks right here when I say, ‘we really admire and love George H.W. Bush.”
Pres. Carter told the audience that American is known for volunteer work. He noted that 67 million Americans volunteered to help other people in the country last year. He added that Habitat for Humanity pledged to build 6,000 homes across the states impacted by the hurricanes. According to him, the non-profit organization already raised $20 million of the needed $100 million. He has been working with Habitat for Humanity for 36 years.
Pres. Clinton noted that volunteering in America started before the founding of the United States. He told the audience that Benjamin Franklin organized the first volunteer fire department in Philadelphia.
Clinton said, “We’ve been volunteering since before our Constitution…Our neighbors, our friends, have got an enormous amount of ‘sweat equity’ from all these volunteers, and a lot of money.” He added that the hurricane victims “have only begun to dig their way out of what could be still a calamitous disaster…but can be a new beginning.”
