| - Interior
Secretary Gale A. Norton launched Take Pride In America, a national partnership
initiative aimed at increasing volunteer service on public lands on April 16,
2003.
- Please
play a part in Take Pride In America initiative with enthusiasm to restore and
improve our public lands!
"Volunteers
help maintain and sustain our national parks, wildlife refuges and fish hatcheries.
They serve as campground hosts, clear trails, help with seasonal bird surveys,
and collect new information for maps. We couldn't do a good job without them."
--- Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton What
is the Take Pride In America Initiative?
The Take Pride In America
Initiative is a national campaign to encourage federal, state, and local public
and private partnerships and volunteer service to protect public parks, recreation
areas, and cultural resources. Its primary focus will be to encourage citizen
stewards to dedicate time and service to help protect and restore resources and
facilities in their area. America's public parks, recreation areas, and cultural
sites are more popular than ever and continue to attract many visitors. Take Pride
In America can help mobilize much needed volunteer efforts and create a new synergy
in addressing federal, state, and local resource and recreation needs as part
of the President's USA Freedom Corps volunteer service initiative.
This program has a track record of success. In 1986 President Ronald Reagan launched
the first Take Pride In America. All 50 states participated along with hundreds
of local communities and private corporations and countless citizens. Between
1986 and 1992, the Take Pride In America program was credited with generating
more than 10 million hours of volunteer service to our public lands.
What Awards Program Is Offered?
Take
Pride in America will sponsor a national recognition and awards program. Each
state forwards its best Take Pride efforts for four annual national awards. The
volunteer service certificate is awarded to those who have logged 100 or more
hours of service. Federal agencies recognize volunteers who have donated up to
2,000 hours of service. The Secretarial Award recognizes 3,000 hours of service.
A special Presidential Award is given to those who have reached 4,000 hours of
service. See
more detail What
You Can Do?
You can find helpful volunteer suggestions at the
"50 Ways You Can Participate"
section of the Take Pride website. For example: 1.
Organize a volunteer effort at your workplace, school, church, synagogue, mosque
or neighborhood.
2. Encourage businesses and corporations to donate money,
services, and equipment for efforts benefiting public lands and resources.
3. Organize a community-wide clean up drive (engage and work with community
leaders and elected officials).
4. Publicize the Take Pride awards program
and encourage groups to nominate their programs and projects.
5. Sponsor
a school or extracurricular essay contest for students to write about what "Take
Pride in America" means to them.
6. Organize a race or contest to benefit
a local public area, wildlife or cultural resource.
7. Work with a local
cable television station or operation company to publicize upcoming Take Pride
events on a local community access channel.
8. Cook or serve meals for
volunteers or help provide transportation to work sites for volunteers.
9. Plan events to observe designated national celebrations (Historic Preservation
Week, National Volunteer Week, Tourism Week, Seasons of Service, etc.) to underscore
the Take Pride theme.
10. Provide advice and assistance for fundraising
events, which benefit public lands and resources. more
Or,
you can write to: Take
Pride In America
1849 C Street, N.W.
Room 3459
Washington,
D.C. 20240
Phone: 202.208.5848 | Fax: 202.208.5873
Email: TakePride@ios.doi.gov
Website: http://www.tkepride.gov If
you have any questions or comments please contact Legislative Research Analyst
Chil-Sook Hwang by fax: 202-347-1091
or by phone: 1-888-4GRANGE, ext 109. Thank you for your grassroots participation
in the National Grange Legislative program. Want
to Subscribe To  ? For
all subscription and circulation inquiries, Contact: Jonathan
Hill. |
