Proclamation 4288—National Volunteer Week, 1974

The spirit of voluntarism, one of the hallmarks of American life, has rarely been stronger than it is today. It has been estimated that one out of every five Americans is contributing time and talent in some kind of voluntary service. American volunteers are improving the quality of life in remote villages and in urban slums in the United States and working to improve the quality of life for others in distant corners of the world. These efforts most frequently touch the lives of the poor, the young, the aged and the sick, but in the process the lives of all men and women are made richer.

There are abundant opportunities for every concerned American to reap the rewards that come from helping others. More than 90,000 are serving in programs sponsored by ACTION, the Federal agency for volunteer service. Others are helping to organize volunteer efforts with the help of the National Center for Voluntary Action. We must continue to support these vital activities, and we must work to extend and enhance the valuable and satisfying services of our volunteers.

Now, Therefore, I, Richard M. Nixon, President of the United States of America, do hereby designate the calendar week beginning April 21, 1974, as National Volunteer Week.

I urge all Americans to observe that week by seeking out an area in their community in which they can give to a needy individual or a worthy cause by devoting a few hours, or more, each week to volunteer service.

I call upon all communities throughout the United States to recognize volunteers by observing the week with special ceremonies to honor those who have given countless hours for the betterment of our communities and the American way of life.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twentieth day of April, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred seventy-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred ninety-eighth.

RICHARD NIXON