President Obama Signs Law Establishing September 11 as a National Day of Service
April 23, 2009

President Obama signed the Edward M. Kennedy Service Act  (HR 1388) establishing September 11 as a National Day of Service and Remembrance. The President was joined by Senator Kennedy, former President Clinton, Mayor Bloomberg and other Congressional leaders who supported the bill. The new law also boosts federal support for national service programs, such as Americorps, and increases education grants for volunteers.

"I've seen a rising generation of young people work and volunteer and turn out in record numbers," said President Obama. "They're a generation that came of age amidst the horrors of 9/11 and Katrina; the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; an economic crisis without precedent. And yet despite all this, or more likely because of it, they have become a generation of activists possessed with that most American of ideas that people who love their country can change it."

For volunteer opportunities in New York City, visit NYC Service.