Schwarzenegger Urges Volunteering

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

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Governor Schwarzenegger was Tuesday's KVML "Newsmaker of the Day". Here are his words:

"Hello, this is Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger with another California Report.

This week, we will mark the anniversary of September 11, 2001. Last year we held our first ever National Day of Service and Remembrance. It was an amazing day here at the Capitol.

We called together people who have dedicated their lives to service: a police officer, a firefighter, a teacher, a soldier and a volunteer.

It was so wonderful to listen to their inspirational stories and hear about the joy and satisfaction they find in thinking about others, rather than themselves.

I believe we are all called to serve and help others.

And that is why I am now challenging every Californian to find a way to give back, in memory of those we lost on 9/11.

After 9/11, we were united as a nation, bound together by a deep sense of compassion and humanity.

In fact, a record number of Americans stood up and answered the call to service.

So today, I ask you all to renew that commitment... the commitment to serve and strengthen our communities.

There are so many opportunities to serve in California because our volunteers have been out there, leading the way for rest of the nation.

Listen to this: a new study has found that 800,000 more Californians volunteered in 2008 than in the previous year.

Our residents gave more time than the national average and collectively we contributed nearly a billion hours of service.

Amazing!

But we can do more. We need everyone to serve, especially in these difficult economic times.

As a matter of fact, our First Lady, my wife Maria, is leading a service movement that is growing stronger and stronger.

Please join us. You can find more than 50,000 volunteer opportunities on our statewide database, which is the largest of its kind in the country. You will find it at: californiavolunteers.org.

Together we will serve and we will emerge a stronger state and a stronger nation.

My father-in-law, Sargent Shriver, once said: "Serve. Serve. Serve. For in the end it will be the servants who save us all."

Let's live those words. Let's serve, serve, serve.

Thank you for watching and thank you for listening."

The "Newsmaker of the Day" is heard every weekday on AM 1450 KVML at 6:47, 7:47 and 8:47am.

Written by mark@mlode.com