President Obama spoke out, in an op-ed for Time Magazine, about the importance of national service and social innovation. He discussed the urgent need to usher in a “New Era of Service” – one in which Americans of all ages, and from all walks of life, participate in effective, innovative, programs that address the challenges facing our society.

In the end, I have no illusions about the magnitude of the challenges we face. But I have no doubt that we can meet them if we each do our part. So I urge you to get involved, right now, at this defining moment in history.
President Obama pointed to the GIVE and Serve America Acts as important steps toward fostering social innovation.

This legislation will provide new support for social entrepreneurship, identifying and nurturing promising new service programs around the country. We would like to join the President in urging Congress to pass this bipartisan legislation as quickly as possible, and to “usher in a new era of service in this new century.”

Read President Obama’s editorial in its entirety here.