Penn community plays key role at Presidents' Summit

About 40 University students participated in weekend events. and Ian Rosenblum In addition to the presidents, celebrities and do-gooders who gathered in Philadelphia over the weekend for the Presidents' Summit on America's Future, members of the University community volunteered their efforts and were recognized for their services -- while getting the opportunity to schmooze with the stars. The University's involvement in the summit -- which ran from last Sunday through yesterday -- began April 15 when Mayor Ed Rendell announced that Penn was the only university to sponsor the summit on community service. Last Sunday, about 40 University students and staff members headed out to a North Philadelphia high school's football stadium for the conference's kick-off and then rode SEPTA buses to Germantown Avenue to join volunteers and celebrities alike for a concerted clean-up. Donning blue summit shirts and Penn hats, the volunteers started out painting over the graffiti on the old Breyer's Ice Cream plant and cleaning up a vacant lot. "It was great that after we left we saw a whole side of a building that had been covered with graffiti that we changed," College freshman Rebecca Kirsch said. Kirsch -- a Kite and Key member who volunteers weekly at the Ronald McDonald House and tutors West Philadelphia students -- added that it was important that many small groups worked together to accomplish such a large task. Program for Student-Community Involvement Director David Grossman said the Penn volunteers were "really eager to work." Grossman urged students to remain committed to their communities after the summit and throughout their professional lives. He stressed that ongoing commitments must not be "only about volunteering -- it's about thinking about what we do in a more holistic way." Retired Gen. Colin Powell -- the summit's chairperson -- President Clinton and former presidents George Bush and Jimmy Carter were among the speakers at the high school kick-off ceremony. Thousands of volunteers from community groups, schools and churches gathered to register for the clean-up while listening to the politicians and various entertainers, including L.L. Cool J. and All 4 One. In his speech, Clinton defined what it means to be a good citizen, stressing that "you have to serve in your community and make it better." Powell also emphasized the necessity for individuals to act on their own, noting that "this is not the time to ask 'Is there more that government should be doing or less that government should be doing'?" But the overall theme was unity, as Bush stated that "today, we're just Americans -- not Republican, not Democrat, not Jew or Gentile, not rich or poor, not black or white." In addition to Sunday's kick-off and clean-up, Penn students and staff were also involved in the more exclusive gatherings at Independence Hall and the Philadelphia Convention Center. In order to increase America's nationwide commitment to community service by the turn of the century, delegates representing special interests -- such as youth or one of 140 American cities -- were invited to participate in meetings that were closed to the public. Community-minded College senior Abby Close served as a youth delegate to the summit, while Center for Community Partnerships Director Ira Harkavy was part of the Philadelphia delegation. Harkavy said the delegation drafted a plan with Rendell on implementing the summit's ideas on strengthening community. He added that Philadelphia institutions like the University must "play a key role" and continue to tap into their resources to better serve the community. Close said she attended "breakout" sessions as a youth delegate that discussed the role of education, media and youth -- among other subjects -- in the future of community service. The group also devised a mission statement on the importance of including youth in the decision-making process and empowering youth to not only receive service but to serve their communities as well. Newly-elected sophomore class Vice President Robin Grossman also participated in the summit as a representative at Monday's leadership brunch. Grossman's reaction to the summit was that the University must expand its involvement in the community. "All student leaders and groups have to get together and get the whole Penn community involved," the College sophomore said, noting that the University must shed its current "isolationist status." This view -- that people and groups must be proactive in order to affect change -- was echoed in the official declarations made by first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, Bush and Powell yesterday as they closed the conference.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.