A Year of Service in Honor of Ted Kennedy

Last week I watched, with thousands of others, as the funeral procession for Ted Kennedy passed in front of the State House. The sense of loss and sadness overwhelmed me, and I could see in the faces in the crowd that everyone felt the same. In the days that followed his death, the crowds grew larger, the lines longer, everyone wanting to say good-bye and thank you to our great Senator one final time. It seemed appropriate that the Senator's public wake took place in Dorchester at the JFK Library and that his funeral took place in the glorious Mission Church in Roxbury. That was so Ted-like, returning to the people who elected him, in the very communities where his policies, laws, and actions helped those most in need.

The Kennedy family's commitment to service over the past 50 years is a legacy unmatched by anyone. Ted was a huge proponent of national service, and one of his final acts was to author a bill that would greatly increase the size of the AmeriCorps Program, a bill that carries his name, and was signed by the President in April 2009. Like his brothers before him, Ted believed in the idealism of America. I will miss him.

Generations Incorporated begins a new year of service in October, and we will dedicate it to Ted Kennedy. Over 300 Experience Corps members and 65 AmeriCorps members will begin working with hundreds of children who need help with reading, writing, and other literacy skills. By the end of the year, we will have amassed more than 140,000 hours of volunteer service. The impact will be huge. And we will do this in honor of Ted Kennedy, and in the hopes that many more Americans will extend themselves to others in service.

Thank you, Ted. May you rest in peace.