For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
January 30, 2001
Remarks by the President in Submission of Faith-Based Services Proposal
The Fishing School Washington. D.C.
Read the Faith Based Initiative:
text,
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1:35 P.M. EST
THE
PRESIDENT: Thank you, Tom, very much for having
us. And it's such an honor to have John Dilulio on my
staff. For those of you who don't know John, he's a pioneer
in working with Republicans and Democrats and people who really care
about political parties to revitalize neighborhoods and places where
hope may have been lost, by rallying faith-based
organizations. And so, John, I'm so honored that you've
sacrificed for the country.
It's good
to see Steve Goldsmith here, who is a partner as well.
A little
over a week ago, a few miles from here, I was honored to be inaugurated
your President. I'm here today to repeat the promise I made
on the steps of the Capitol -- I will work to build a single nation of
justice and opportunity. I'm going to need some help to do
that. And so I'm so honored four members of the United
States Congress are here -- Senator Joe Lieberman from the great state
of Connecticut -- (applause) -- Senator Rick Santorum from Pennsylvania
-- (applause) -- Congressman Mark Souder of Indiana -- (applause) --
Congressman Tony Hall of Ohio. (Applause.)
I'm also
pleased that two members of my Cabinet came -- one, Mel Martinez, my
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development -- (applause) -- and
finally, Rod Paige, a fellow Texan who is now the Secretary of
Education. (Applause.)
The Fishing
School obviously attracts people who seek excellence, and all of us up
here, regardless of our political party, love to herald
excellence. And we love to stand next to people who have got
vision and good intentions and a good heart. And that's Tom
Lewis. (Applause.)
This little
haven is a refuge from violence and addiction and
abuse. Children find learning and care, but most important,
they find something that we can never pass legislation to achieve --
and that's love. They find love. They find an adult saying,
somebody cares about you. Somebody loves you. Somebody wants to help
you. Tom knows what we all know, that through loving
children, you find deep fulfillment in your own heart. You
can just see it on his face, and you can hear it in his voice.
As a
candidate for President, I had the privilege of visiting a lot of
churches and synagogues and charitable groups all across the country,
groups that offer food and shelter, hope and dignity. I've
seen how effective and committed these groups are at saving and
changing lives. As President, I am resolved to put government on your
side, Tom, on the side of the committed and the caring and the
compassionate.
There are
so many people in need. The good news about America is,
there are so many willing to serve. It's the great strength
of our nation. There's no limit to the talent and energy and
compassion of this great land. But sometimes the need is too
great and the resources are too limited, and all of us, as private
citizens and public officials, should help where we can.
Today I'm
sending to Congress a set of ideas and proposals that mark a hopeful
new direction for our government. We will encourage
community and faith-based programs, without changing their
mission. We will eliminate barriers to charitable works,
wherever they exist, and we will encourage charitable giving, wherever
we can.
I'm open to
any good ideas that will come form the Congress, and I can assure you,
these four good members of Congress will have some good
ideas. (Laughter.) And they're probably not going
to be afraid to tell me either. (Laughter.) But
here are some of my proposals.
I want to
fully open up the after-school program, called 21st Century Learning
Centers, to all after-school programs, including faith-based
groups. (Applause.) I propose to create a
compassionate capital fund, which will provide start-up funds for
promising new programs serving people in need. We'll make
sure that funding is available to faith-based programs on an equal
basis, with non-religious alternatives.
Government,
of course, cannot fund, and will not fund, religious
activities. But when people of faith provide social
services, we will not discriminate against
them. (Applause.) I propose to encourage
mentoring programs for children of
prisoners. (Applause.) As well as programs that,
when possible, help to mend broken families.
The change
we seek won't come all at once, by an act of Congress or any executive
order signed by the President. Real change happens street by
street, heart by heart, one soul, one conscience at a
time. It happens in places like this one, the Fishing
School. Yet I hope the good policies can expand and multiply
these efforts, uplifting lives all across America.
You know,
for those of us in public life oftentimes are honored to be able to see
the best of America, to be able to find true strength, the true heart
of the country. I believe the true heart of the country can
be defined here at the Fishing School, an idea started because somebody
said, what can I do; how can I hear the universal call to love a
neighbor just like I'd like to be loved myself? In this
case, a person I call a social entrepreneur, and this is a country of
social entrepreneurs.
And our
job, regardless of our political party, is to recognize the strength of
the country, to nourish it and feed it within the Constitution, within
the bounds of the Constitution, and to herald success when we find
it. And today all of us are honored to be here to herald
success because we have found it right here.
God bless
Tom. God bless your program. (Applause.)
END
1:42 P.M. EST
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