President George H. W. Bush to be Honored at The Kennedy Center

Points of Light Institute, Honorary Chair President William J. Clinton, President George W. Bush, President James Carter Jr., among others, will honor his historic leadership in America's voluntary service movement

ATLANTA, Feb. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On March 21st at The John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., President George H. W. Bush will be honored for his visionary leadership in the American service movement.  President William Jefferson Clinton will be the honorary co-chair and will be joined by President and Mrs. George W. Bush and President Jimmy and Mrs. Carter. The star-studded event will bring together all of the living former presidents at a public celebration for the first time since President Barack Obama took office.  

The event, sponsored by Points of Light Institute, will highlight President Bush's legacy and the critical role that voluntary service plays in overcoming the challenges our families, communities and the nation face in the 21st century.  George Stevens, Jr., who is responsible for the Kennedy Center Honors and Christmas in Washington programs, will produce the event, along with his son, Michael Stevens (http://www.pointsoflight.org/tributes/news/points-light-institute-tribute-producers-stevens-company).  

"Born out of my father's 1989 inaugural address where he spoke of the power of 'Points of Light', Points of Light Institute was launched in 1990 to inspire, equip and mobilize people to take action that changes the world," said Neil Bush, Chairman of the Board for Points of Light Institute.  "We help people discover their own ability to step forward and make a difference in their communities – to become individual Points of Light.  The Tribute event will not only honor President Bush and the steps that he took during his presidency and post-presidency, but also honor the role that voluntary service plays in the American experience."

Michelle Nunn, CEO of Points of Light Institute remarked, "For the past 20 years, Points of Light Institute has committed itself to helping Americans across the country live out President Bush's call and this vision has been embraced and extended by every president since. For over two decades, we have seen time and again that every individual has the power to make an impact in his community, our country and the world at large.  We are honored to be part of this historic event."

In conjunction with the Tribute event, Points of Light Institute is calling on Americans from across the country to recognize individual Points of Light in their communities through their words and actions.  Launching today is an innovative website that collects these stories and turns them into a virtual community committed to the power of service.  Those who post can immediately begin helping their communities by signing up for local volunteer opportunities. Already, a bipartisan group Members of Congress, including House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), Rep. John Dingell (D-MI), Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA) and Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY), as well as other prominent Americans share posted Tributes to individuals who have made a difference.  The Tributes are available at www.pointsoflight.org/tributes/wall.

"This remarkable coming together of individuals from across the political spectrum is conclusive proof that, while partisanship divides us, people at every level want to find opportunities to unite to make differences in their community without regard to party or politics," Nunn remarked.  

Beginning today, a team of "Tribute Ambassadors" will work to inspire people to engage in public service and highlight a Point of Light in their community.  Through social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, they will raise public awareness of the event and ask people to contribute to the Tribute Wall.  Our Ambassadors are an impressive mix of political activists and commentators from both sides of the aisle, business leaders, online personalities and leaders in the service community.  More information on the Ambassador program, including a full list of Ambassadors is available at: http://www.pointsoflight.org/tributes/news/points-light-institute-tribute-social-media-ambassadors.

Points of Light Institute is also holding a Facebook contest as another vehicle to honor individual Points of Light in communities across the country and to drive voluntary service.  To enter, Americans may submit an essay, a photo, or a photo + essay that pays tribute to either President Bush or a point of light in their life.  The three tributes that receive the highest number of votes on Facebook will be eligible to win an expenses-paid trip to Washington D.C. and attend the Tribute.  From those three entries a panel of Tribute Committee members will choose the submission that they determine best inspires a commitment to volunteer action and name them the winner.  A full list of Tribute Committee members is available at http://www.pointsoflight.org/tributes/news/points-light-institute-tribute-committee.

"A key part of the Tribute event will be to draw attention to the Service Generation Campaign, which seeks to raise $30 million in capital investments.  These investments are pivotal to responding to a new generation of service, and ensuring that the power of President Bush's legacy continues to result in innovative solutions to the needs of our time," said Nunn.  "The campaign will help Points of Light Institute reach goals to recruit and activate 500,000 service leaders, launch HandsOn Network local action center flagships that create model 'communities of light', and design and execute 2,000,000 impact-driven volunteer projects."

About Points of Light Institute

Points of Light Institute inspires, equips and mobilizes people to take action that changes the world. The Institute has a global focus to redefine volunteerism and civic engagement for the 21st century, putting people at the center of community problem-solving. It is organized to innovate, incubate and activate new ideas that help people act upon their power to make a difference. To that end, Points of Light operates several dynamic business units that help it fulfill its mission: HandsOn Network, MissionFish and the Civic Incubator, along with AmeriCorps Alums and generationOn, its new global youth service division.

SOURCE Points of Light Institute

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