National Mental Health Association Remarks at the Association's Salute to Rosalynn Carter.

About 32 minutes ago I landed at Andrews Air Force Base, having hurriedly changed into a tuxedo on the plane before I disembarked and flew over to the reflecting pool and took a car here to be with you on this exciting and wonderful occasion.

Yesterday, at noon, I left to go to Miami to meet with groups responsible for the influx of Cubans and Haitians who've come to our shores seeking freedom and seeking a better way of life. Back in 1965 when we had the enormous influx of Cubans from the Castro regime, who were seeking to escape the persecution and the totalitarian government, we received and processed in the first 2 months, 3,000 Cubans.

During the recent 6 weeks period, we processed an average of 3,000 every day. There is no way to do this with Government agencies. It can only be done with volunteers. We have also witnessed in recent hours the impact of riots in Liberty City, north of Miami, caused by the real or imagined deprivation of the people there of an equal opportunity, for justice and for economic progress, and for a voice in the shaping of their own future.

I met in a closed room for about an hour and a half with [about] ¹ 50 people or more, almost all of whom spoke to me. With the exception of three or four elected officials, including two Congressmen, all of them were volunteers. Distinguished members of the business community, Chamber of Commerce, head of the NAACP, the SCLC, Voters' League-volunteers trying to shape for the people who were alienated from their own community the realization and conviction of a better life.

¹ White House correction.

And then I flew out to the State of Washington, to Seattle, and had a report this morning from the people responsible for repairing the damage to human lives and to our natural resources from the explosion at Mount St. Helens. The Federal Government contribution to the cleanup that I've sent up to the Congress Appropriations Committee today is $917 million.

But compared to the enormous outpouring of human volunteer work this pales into insignificance. And then this afternoon after speaking to the mayors of our Nation, I came back by Grand Island, Nebraska, to see the devastation caused there by four simultaneous tornadoes that hovered over this one tiny community for 3 hours. I stood on a street corner where as far as you could see, there was no house standing, just piles of rubble and literally dozens of people there working.

I walked up to two men who seemed to be the most burdened down with fatigue and sweat because I wanted the news cameras to get a good picture of me- [laughter] —and I said to them, "Do you live here on this block?" And they said, "No." And, I said, "Where do you live?" And one of them said, "I live in Kansas." And the other one said, "I live in South Dakota." They were in the heart of Nebraska. And I said, "Why did you come this far?" They said, "We heard about the tornadoes and we figured they might need some help." They were both Mennonites; they were both farmers.

I walked across the street to what was formerly a house. It was just a foundation about as high as this table, 30 inches high. The people are now finding shelter in the basement. It was covered over with plyboard. And I asked one of the men standing there if that was his home. He said, "No, I live about three blocks away." I said, "What are you doing down here?" He said, "Well, I came here because my house wasn't hit."

I know what you do in the Mental Health Association. You come because people need you and you come often because your home hasn't been hit. To stand with others, to shape better lives, of those who are deprived and alienated, who are forsaken, and who feel themselves that they are not part of our society, and that they have no way to use the talent or ability that God gave them in a fruitful fashion.

Our Government, since the first days of this Nation, has been responsible to some degree for those who have mental problems, but recently because of the help of those in this room and others like you, that tiny seed of assistance has been tremendously magnified. And now, there's a consciousness of volunteer effort that is successful and proven, and an improvement in human lives that's an inspiration to us all. There can be no higher honor, in my judgment, than to call someone an exemplary volunteer in mental health. And, in my judgment—not completely unprejudiced—you have chosen someone who could not be a better person to exemplify the love and the dedication. You've chosen the person that I love more than anyone else in the world, and I love her not only because of her personal relationship with me but because of what I know she means to other people.

I thank you on behalf of our family.