A resolution celebrating Volunteers in Service to America on its 45th anniversary and recognizing its contribution to the fight against poverty.

Mr. President, I rise today, to celebrate a remarkable anniversary. This month, Volunteers in Service to America, better known as VISTA, celebrates the 45th anniversary of its founding. I am delighted to have Senator Thad Cochran of Mississippi as my cosponsor. Public service is a bipartisan issue.

Forty-five years of bringing people together, lifting communities up, fighting poverty, making America stronger.

Forty-five years of fighting illiteracy, improving health services, reducing unemployment, increasing housing opportunities, reducing crime and recidivism, and expanding access to technology.

Forty-five years of leveraging resources and building capacity while providing thousands of Americans the opportunity to devote a year of full-time service living and working in low-income communities to help eradicate poverty.

VISTA did not invent these ideas; America has a long and rich history of public service. But when John F. Kennedy became president, these enduring values found new life. The person in his new administration who truly pursued that vision with all his might was President Kennedy's brother-in-law, Sargent Shriver. I will always know him as a hero and a friend.

He created a legacy of programs that promote social equality and human dignity--such as Legal Services, Job

Corps, and yes, VISTA. He was also the driving force behind the creation of the Peace Corps, which is how I originally came to know him.

When we first met in the early 1960s, I was still studying Chinese and interested in Southeast Asia affairs, but my life was quickly transformed after meeting Sargent Shriver.

He understood that one way to improve the world was to start with our own communities--and that if we unite together with a common mission of making our communities stronger, we can make the world a better place.

That was when I became a VISTA volunteer, shortly after the program began. I was lucky enough to come to West Virginia--and that was when my life changed forever. I often say that while I was technically born in New York, I was really born in West Virginia that year.

I truly believe that people are liberated when they get outside of themselves to help others.

When I first came to West Virginia, over 40 years ago, much of my work was with children who didn't have great opportunities in life. I was a VISTA member in Emmons, West Virginia, a small, coal mining community on the Boone-Kanawha County line.

It took me 6 months to finally be accepted by the community. I used to sit on the railroad tracks with the kids, throwing rocks and just talking with them. One day, one of the kids invited me into their home; then the others soon followed.

I had found what I wanted by working with this community--what my gut was telling me was important. I found out a few other things as well. There was not any organization in the community or a general effort to better the living conditions of the area.

Many of the children didn't even go to school because it was several miles to a paved road and the school board wouldn't send a bus to Emmons.

So, we fought for a school bus. We built a small library. We built a park. We started a baseball team. We didn't win a single game, but that wasn't what was important. It was opening up new possibilities for those kids.

My experience was just one of thousands. Since 1965, more than 175,000 Americans of all ages and walks of life have answered VISTA's call. I am proud to count myself as a member of that very special group.

So VISTA's anniversary is also my own. When I look back on VISTA beginnings, I see my own roots--the foundation on which I have built the rest of my life.

I got into politics shortly thereafter. I knew I could not be a VISTA forever, so I ran for the House of Delegates, knowing that was the way I could continue to make change.

I knew there were a thousand Emmons all across Appalachia. But everything that I have done in my career in public office has been grounded in the VISTA experience and in those kids and families who taught me so much about life.

Today, VISTA, which became part of AmeriCorps in 1993, continues to engage more than 7,000 members in helping more than 1,000 local organizations build sustainable anti-poverty programs every year.

So to them--to VISTA's members, past and present--to its numerous devoted host organizations and communities which give as much to the program as they receive--to my friend and mentor Sargent Shriver--to everyone who carries on VISTA's noble work every day--congratulations and thank you.

Now, watch out. We have only just begun: In these times of enormous economic uncertainty and challenge, our nation needs VISTA's, courage, commitment and service more than ever. Your impact is real. I know without a doubt, from the bottom my heart that for years to come, VISTA members will continue to transform our communities and our nation--for the better.

Mr. President, I am pleased to join the distinguished Senator from West Virginia, Mr. Rockefeller, in submitting a resolution to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Volunteers in Service to America, or VISTA, program.

President Kennedy suggested in 1963 a program of national service that would provide assistance to those in need in urban and rural areas. Less than 2 years later, President Johnson launched the ``War on Poverty,'' and included the VISTA program created by the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964.

Incorporated into the AmeriCorps network of programs in 1993, VISTA has been hard at work in the fight against poverty for 45 years. Today, the VISTA program is stronger than ever, placing 6,500 full-time volunteers at 1,200 nonprofit organizations and public agencies each year. These volunteers are committed to serving the needs of the poorest Americans at numerous program sites, and they are to be commended for their unselfish contributions to helping others.

I am proud to say that there are 87 VISTA volunteers at 21 program sites in my home State of Mississippi. I understand the sacrifices that are being made by these young men and women and the important impact that these volunteers have made in our communities.

I am pleased to congratulate VISTA on 45 years of distinguished service to our country.