Two-Day ServiceNation Summit in NYC

Thursday’s ServiceNation Presidential Candidate Forum will be just one part of a two-day event to kick off ServiceNation’s national campaign to enact federal service legislation by September 11, 2009.

Earlier Thursday, P.S. 124 will host a day of service organized by MyGoodDeed. Hilton New York will host a day of panel discussions and speakers including Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Laura Bush on Friday. ServiceNation expects more than 500 leaders of universities, civic organizations, businesses and government from across the country to attend the Friday event.

Formed earlier this year, ServiceNation is a bipartisan campaign to gain support for service legislation sponsored by Senators Edward Kennedy and Orrin Hatch that would establish a national Declaration of Service.

“The genesis for ServiceNation was really this unique moment in our country,” explained Mary McNaught, chief of staff at Civic Enterprises, one of the organizations leading the campaign. “We have been at war for five years and citizens are looking for opportunities to serve and service organization members want to take that quantum leap and make opportunities like City Year and Peace Corps available to everyone.”