First of all, I want to say thank you to Markos and the Daily Kos community for selecting our campaign to be part of their Orange to Blue program. We are honored to be chosen and happy to be part of this community.
I want to say that I'll continue to report our progress to this community as we march toward the New York State primary (September 9) and the general election in November.
But today, I want to talk about an issue that is central to our grassroots and community oriented campaign...and that is the Call to Service initiative we have rolled out in our district.
Growing up in Western New York, my parents instilled in me at a very young age the importance of helping our community. This sense of community involvement led me to become an Eagle Scout and later a Captain in the U.S. Army. Today it drives me to a larger role in public service.
Service has always been a cornerstone of the American spirit and remains an important part of our patriotism. I also recognized that sense of service at the Netroots Nation convention when I participated in the Netroots for the Troops volunteer project.
You see, today, more than ever, it is important for Americans to invest their spirit, their commitment to service, and their time to improve America and her neighbors around the world. Our service not only to international societies, but to our struggling neighborhoods right here in Western New York will be our generation's lasting legacy.
That is why I put together A Call To Service, a plan outlining how we can encourage volunteerism and service in our community and create service-related jobs at home to keep our best and brightest in Western New York.
Americans, and Western New Yorkers specifically, have always proven themselves to be generous and hard working. The problem is that politicians in Washington have not asked Americans to serve. We need to tap into the energy and creativity of our citizens to tackle our nation's most trying problems.
Today I am calling on you, Kossacks, to lead by example. Sign our pledge and join our call to service.
Join us and take a greater role in your community through volunteerism, service in the military, working in professions that take care of our society or signing up for service professions like AmeriCorps or the Peace Corps. We all can be more engaged in our community, especially through volunteering.
Sign our pledge and call to service then tell five 5 friends about our program and ask them to sign up as well.
It is time to ask Americans to reengage and fill the shortages of our society's most vital professions. Congress can help and when elected we would like to lead that effort. We have no doubt that when asked, Western New Yorkers, and people all across the country will answer the call to serve.
Together we have the Power to change Washington.
Powers for Congress Web Site
Powers DFA Page
Powers Call to Service