First Lady Asks Businesses to Allow Employees to Spend Part of Work Week Mentoring Youth
CNSNews
First lady Michelle Obama on Tuesday said she was “thrilled” to announce a new program that asks U.S. businesses to allow employees to spend part of the work day volunteering with young people. The program will be run by the federal agency tasked with overseeing volunteerism in the United States.
“And that’s why today, I am thrilled to announce that the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) has teamed up with several major companies to establish a Corporate Mentoring Challenge,” Obama said at a summit held by CNCS and the National Mentoring Partnership MENTOR at the Library of Congress.
“This is a program calling on businesses of all sizes to allow their employees to mentor for short periods during the work day, giving kids positive role models and offering employees a way to give back,” Obama said. “And they’ve already received new commitments from leading companies who have agreed to harness their resources and help us make a difference on a very large scale.
“We want to do things big,” Obama said, but did not spell out details about the challenge.
The CNCS is the federal agency that oversees volunteer programs such as AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and the United We Stand call to service introduced by President Barack Obama by video in June 2009.
“The challenges we face are unprecedented in their size and scope, and we cannot rely on quick fixes or easy answers to put us on the road to recovery,” Obama said in the video message. “In this new century, we need to a build a new foundation for economic growth in America.
“My Administration has already begun this work with dramatic new investments in education, health care and clean energy – investments that will create new jobs and lay the foundation for lasting prosperity. But we cannot do this alone here in Washington.
Economic recovery is as much about what you’re doing in your communities as what we’re doing in Washington – and it’s going to take all of us, working together,” Obama said.
The budget for CNCS has grown from 927.1 million in 2005 to $1,149,721,000 in 2010. Obama requested a budget of $1,415,586,000 for 2011, but the Senate reduced the amount to $1,365,586,000.
The first lady said that many U.S. companies are already working with local schools, and she hopes others will follow suit.
“I want to encourage businesses across the country to follow this example in the months and years ahead,” Mrs. Obama said. “There is so much, so much good that we can all do here.”
Wild Thing’s comment…….
Well this will really boost efficiency……..NOT!
Do these never-had-a-real-job ideological idiots ever give a second’s thought to productivity? Despite all of their efforts, not everyone is as of yet in a make-work government position. Some folks actually do jobs that produce real products and services. They should be encouraged to work — not told to take time off to play with the kiddies. The woman is a shiftless, walking disaster.
She never had an actual job and doesn’t understand that in the real world, they do happen to exist. Also what the heck is wrong with parents being the mentor for their own kids. Apparently Michelle does not think parents are good enough to be parents.
“Volunteerism”…….. In Michelle’s eyes, we’re all just slaves for the state.
Hmmmm So she says you should give your employees some weekly paid time off to do volunteer work. She’s brilliant, you know. She really is out of her mind!With all the lay offs and business closings caused by her husband.
She thinks this is what business owners are worried about??
I have a good friend who has a 9-year-old boy. And one day during a conversation with him he was asked, “what was the purpose of a business” and without blinking he said, “to make a profit”. I find it disturbing that a 9 year old boy has more common sense than our unintelligent leaders.
Oh Shit! Another “gummint agency” with a rapidly growing budget. Americorps and United We Stand, obama’s brownshirts?
Kids are to be mentored by their parents and other family members. I realize that is a failure in much of the Black community, but I don’t want another way to pay for their shortcoming.
MrHappy, wow that is great, thank you for sharing about him. Your right too about common sense about our leaders.
Tom, HUGE ditto to all you said.