Earlier last month, I joined other American business and philanthropic leaders in support of an initiative to expand community and national service opportunities for Americans of all ages. Part of this effort included sending a letter to Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell urging them to come together and embrace an effort to expand national and community service opportunities and invest in social innovation as proposed by President Obama and a bi-partisan group of congressional leaders led by senators Ted Kennedy and Orrin Hatch.

As you may all know, the Senate passed the Kennedy-Hatch National Service Bill on March 27th. With the passage of this new landmark platform for service and innovation, communities across America will finally be able to mobilize together and address our collective opportunities as one.

Not a single person I have met or spoken to has expressed any regret in regard to their choice to dedicate their life, all or in part, to service and volunteerism. People have often argued that business and community service are independent and should not be confused. I believe, and clearly am not alone here, that their roles today are not independent but, in fact, interdependent. This interdependence and need to support each other has never been quite as critical as it is today.

I hope that we don't just limit our volunteer and community service actions to National Volunteer Week alone, but rather use it as an opportunity to start a life-long commitment to service. It is important to remember that it is most often ordinary resources that have inspired some of the most extraordinary change. Although alone we may not heel the world, I do strongly believe, that together we can be an accessory.

Visit awearnessvolunteernow.com to find your opportunity today.