Remarks to Members of Self Enhancement, Incorporated, in Portland, Oregon

Well, good morning everybody. Thank you for coming out. I'm just delighted to be here to salute Self Enhancement, Inc. You've got the sign right there. And I love that motto, "Life has options." This worthwhile organization was selected as our 69th daily Point of Light, setting an example for the entire country.

Back in 1981 -- some of you guys were just real little ones then, some might not have even been there -- Self Enhancement began as a summer camp for student athletes, and today it's a full-service program dedicated to the total development of disadvantaged young people. Some 700 young people are provided with a positive alternative to drugs and crime and their activities during school hours and after school to improve study skills; expand knowledge; and learn personal responsibility, communication, employment tips. Youngsters whose future was once bleak, can, thanks to Self Enhancement, look forward to futures bright with promise, limited only by their dreams.

And Self Enhancement is providing what these young people need most: not money or a job but something worth so much more, a sense of dignity and self-worth. This group teaches them to believe in themselves and to care about themselves. Once these youngsters find the greatness within them, there can be absolutely no stopping them.

So, keep up the great work. To all of you adults connected with this program, you have my profound thanks and the gratitude of our country, and to all you kids involved, stay in there and get the job done. You've got great and exciting lives ahead of you.

Thanks for coming out to say hello. Thank you all very much.