Bill Clinton: “Now, I think our presenters did a wonderful job. Let's give them all a hand again. [Applause] They were great. We thank…”

“Now, I think our presenters did a wonderful job. Let's give them all a hand again. [Applause] They were great. We thank them for their time. I want to leave you with this thought, and then ask the new class to stand and join me in the AmeriCorps promise. And then we will hear from and sing with the Howard University Choir in ``America The Beautiful.'' When you leave here today and you remember how you felt and you remember the stories of the people we honored, I want you to think of the future you would like to build for America in the 21st century. I want you to think about what you'd like this country and this world to be like when your children are your age, when your grandchildren are your age. If I ask you to write down what you think the new century will hold, depending on your background, you might say, well, we're going to finally solve all the mysteries of the human gene, which is true, and then mothers will go home from the hospital with their newborn babies with a little map of their future, and it will tell you, individualized, what kind of food your children should eat, what kind of exercise regimes they should have, what they should avoid, how you can maximize the quality of their lives. Or if you're into computers, you might talk about the next generation of the Internet and how, in no time at all, the number of Internet users will be as dense as the number of telephone users in America and how the Internet might allow children in the poorest villages of the world to skip a whole generation of educational and economic development. Or you might think about how these two things will join together, and we'll be able to put little digital, electronic impulses in various parts of people's bodies that will help them overcome paralysis and have medical miracles. Or if you're interested in outer space, you might say you look forward to the discovering of billions of new galaxies and finding out what's really in those big black holes in outer space. Isn't it interesting when you think about all this modern, exciting stuff, the most sweeping discoveries the world has ever known, don't you think it's interesting that the biggest problems we have in this country and throughout this world relate not to some modern problem--although there are modern problems, like sophisticated weapons--but they're rooted in the oldest, most primitive problem of human societies? We're still afraid of people who are different from us, who look different from us, who act different from us, who have different views about how to worship God or live their lives. That's why AmeriCorps is so important. For all the things I've been involved in all these years as President, all the things I've worked to do, I really believe, looking toward the future, if every young person has a chance to be a good citizen--and we don't give up on anybody; we always give them a chance to come back, here; we had a lot of comeback kids here today talking--and if America can remain committed to building one America across all the lines that divide us, recognizing that our differences make life more exciting but what's important is our common humanity, if those two things can prevail, more than any modern discovery, you'll be proud of the America your children and grandchildren have. That's why AmeriCorps matters and why I am so grateful to you. Thank you very much. Now, I want to ask the newest class of AmeriCorps volunteers to stand up and repeat the oath after me. Raise your right hand. ``I will get things done for America to make our people safer, smarter, and healthier. I will bring Americans together to strengthen our communities. Faced with apathy, I will take action. Faced with conflict, I will seek common ground. Faced with adversity, I will persevere. I will carry this commitment with me this year and beyond. I am an AmeriCorps member. And I will get things done.'' [Audience members repeated the pledge line by line after the President.] Congratulations. Good for you. Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to ask you, in advance, to give a warm round of applause to the Howard University Choir. They've waited through this whole thing to sing ``America The Beautiful'' with us. [Applause] Thank you, and God bless you.”