Summit plans get underway

Philadelphia leaders met yesterday to plan April's "Presidents' Summit." The glamorous and the socially-conscious will gather in Philadelphia for April's "Presidents' Summit" on community service. Civic representatives met at the Community College of Philadelphia yesterday morning to begin planning the event. The representatives discussed what roles will be played by the different organizations -- such as corporations and volunteer groups -- which have expressed interest in the event, as well as how to select Philadelphia's delegates to the conference. Only invited delegates will be able to attend all of the summit's events. Between 10 and 12 such delegates will be chosen from 117 American cities. Participants in the meeting also planned to inform Philadelphia-area non-profit organizations about the summit and urge them to make a commitment to increased community service, according to David Yarkin, a spokesperson for Mayor Ed Rendell. The community service gala will be held in Center City's Independence Hall and Convention Center April 27-29, and will feature both political leaders and celebrities. Actors Arnold Schwarzenegger, Barbra Streisand and Oprah Winfrey are among the stars who have expressed interest in the summit, which President Clinton and former President George Bush jointly announced at a White House press conference in January. In addition to Clinton and Bush, former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and former First Ladies Nancy Reagan and Lady Bird Johnson are expected to participate in the event, along with approximately 2,000 American community leaders. Retired Gen. Colin Powell will chair the summit, whose co-sponsors include the Corporation for National Service and the Points of Light Foundation. United Way Volunteer Center Director Mary Mackie --Ewhose organization is involved in planning the event -- described the summit as "a public service and training event." She said organizers seek to "catch [people's] attention" with the high-profile event, in the hopes that participants will return to their communities with greater commitment to volunteerism. Mackie added that she has been pleasantly surprised by the huge response to the summit, but hopes "that the bulk of the interest is in the longer term." The president's speeches will be held at Independence Hall, while several delegates will describe successful volunteer initiatives during sessions held at the Convention Center. Much of the summit will be closed to the general public because of security and crowd limitations, but Yarkin stressed that "there will be events for Philadelphians," adding that the summit will be carried on both local and national television networks. And although students may not be invited to the president's speeches, Mackie urged University students to participate in volunteer initiatives -- especially those being held in conjunction with the summit, such as a cleanup of Germantown Avenue to kick-off the summit. Mackie added that "one great thing would be for all the college students to come out with the younger people and participate together," noting that many University students -- such as those who volunteer at the Shaw Middle School -- already have the type of connections to area youth which the conference hopes to strengthen.

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