The power of ordinary people

I am tired of the negativity and bashing, the half-truths and insinuations coming from all sides. A campaign season that kicked off by generating unprecedented interest and passion has diminished to debates about animals, lipstick, personal homes and a battle about who is the most out of touch.

These antics might make for entertaining "Saturday Night Live" skits but do not reflect the complexity of the issues we face as a country.

On Sept. 11, I had the honor of flying to New York City to attend Service Nation, a groundbreaking summit on volunteerism. The summit kicked off with a presidential forum with Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama discussing their views on community service. What transpired during the next 24 hours was truly inspirational.

Each candidate spoke to the power of ordinary citizens to do extraordinary things, from the heroism of emergency workers on 9/11 to the busy dad who still finds time to coach his daughter's soccer team, to the young people who dedicate a year of service to our country through AmeriCorps, and to our brave troops putting themselves in harm's way.

I was most struck by a poll McCain referenced that showed 84 percent of Americans think we are on the wrong track and 75 percent believe there is a leadership gap. This is no surprise. Yet 96 percent are proud to be American and 66 percent are optimistic about the future.

We hear daily reports of financial crisis, environmental degradation, failing schools and a broken health-care system. At the same time, the most recent count is that 60 million Americans volunteer each year to make our communities stronger. Optimism and service are integral parts of the American spirit.

As the summit continued, players from all points of view affirmed that we must seize this moment. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg encouraged us to work to "make America as good as its promise."

Adm. Michael Mullen advocated for the need for a "civil-service counterpart to our military." Sen. Hilary Clinton, D-N.Y., called on each of us to find the way that is uniquely "suited to your time, talent and passion to give back."

The list continued — from pop stars such as Jon Bon Jovi, Usher and Alicia Keys, to Harvard's David Gergen to shoe designer Kenneth Cole, corporate CEOs from Deloitte, GE and Goldman Sachs and even Oprah's Dr. Oz. Each of them suggested that, as Americans, we have a collective responsibility to personally engage in making our communities stronger and more vital.

In hearing their words, it hit me that I am one of those "ordinary citizens," and I can't help but be inspired by the bipartisan, cross-sector, multifaith effort to take action. A movement is being born.

Service Nation successfully gained support from more than 100 community and faith-based organizations, corporations and elected leaders who signed on to the vision of 100 million citizens volunteering each and every year. Seattle Works, my organization, is proud to be in this good company. The idea is to channel the creativity and energy of Americans to address our generation's greatest challenges.

But enough of the inspirational rhetoric, let's get to work!

Here is how you can take action:

• Sign the Declaration of Service and add your voice to the movement for change through volunteer service (http://bethechangeaction.org/servicenation/take_action/declaration).

• Step up on Service Nation's Day of Action this coming Saturday. There are opportunities to volunteer locally with groups including Solid Ground, EarthCorps, United Way of King County and Seattle Works (http://events.servicenation.org/).

• Tell Congress to pass the Service Act of 2008. This will allow us to harness human capital to solve some of our most pressing community issues.

• Vote your conscience and your aspirations.

• If you are already an active volunteer, ask someone to join you. It is the best strategy for encouraging people to get involved.

As we like to say at Seattle Works: Do something.