On behalf of the Council of Michigan Foundations and as a former trustee of the Points of Light, I was honored to be invited to the state funeral celebrating the life of our 41st President, George H.W. Bush.
Kyle Caldwell, president and CEO, Council of Michigan Foundations
On behalf of the Council of Michigan Foundations and as a former trustee of the Points of Light, I was honored to be invited to the state funeral celebrating the life of our 41st President, George H.W. Bush. I joined more than 3,500 friends, family, dignitaries and fans to express condolences to the family of a kind, principled and prominent world leader. His funeral brought together a wide and diverse community, from the current and three former U.S. presidents to former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and her husband astronaut Mark Kelly, to football legend Peyton Manning, to local volunteers recognized for their efforts. It was a fitting tribute for the former president who gathered an unlikely coalition wherever he went. His many decades of devoted service to our country spanned the military, government and volunteerism. Communities here and across the globe have been impacted by his legacy of engagement and service to others.
President Bush had a vision for a caring nation, filled with a constellation of individuals doing good and working together to build stronger communities. This dream for America was reflected in his now-famous speech accepting the presidential nomination at the 1988 Republic National Convention, where he described our country’s clubs and volunteer organizations as “a brilliant diversity spread like stars, like a thousand points of light in a broad and peaceful sky.” This vision of citizens creating positive change continues in the international nonprofit that bears the name of his call, Points of Light.
In 1991, George Bush, Sr. bestowed the inaugural Points of Light Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award on George Romney, Michigan’s 43rd governor, a man who championed the creation of volunteer centers and the capacity of service to address our communities’ most vexing challenges. Former Governor Romney was head of the National Center for Voluntary Action when it merged with Points of Light, and together with President Bush, helped to launch decades of growth in the volunteer sector.
Today, more than $1 billion in federal support is annually given to communities across the country because of the early work of President Bush’s Commission for National and Community Service (CNCS). Dottie Johnson, president emeritus of CMF, is a former member of the CNCS board, and I am a past board member for Points of Light, which currently has a network of 200 affiliates in 35 countries.
The people of Michigan, our nation and the world are better today not only because of George H.W. Bush’s service as the 41st president of our nation, but also because of his enduring commitment to serving others and encouraging all of us to do the same. Thank you, Mr. President.
