This year’s class has upheld a long-standing White House Fellows tradition of participating in community service projects.

In January, the White House Fellows and staff made a donation to the Little White House, an organization that provides mentoring and guidance to youths living in southeast D.C. A Fellows’ delegation led by Jennifer Franke (‘01-’02) presented the donation.

In March, the Fellows brought hammers and saws to work on a home constructed by the D.C. chapter of Habitat for Humanity. The class spent a beautiful Saturday at a site in east D.C. working on the exterior of a Habitat home being built for a single mother and her family. Howard Zucker (’01-’02) discovered that working on the home was “a great opportunity to realize that building a home for one family was building a future for a community.”

In April, President Bush asked the nation to assist the Red Cross by assembling 2000 school chests for Afghan children. White House Fellows, their families, and staff members responded to the call by purchasing an assortment of school supplies. Tammy McClintock, wife of Bruce McClintock (’01-’02) praised the program, claiming that her daughters “learned that their participation would help children in need on the other side of the world.”

Closer to home, Fellows and their families spent a day spring-cleaning at the SEED school in southeast Washington, D.C. SEED, the nation’s first charter boarding school, targets students from low-income households who are motivated to apply for entry into competitive colleges. The experience gave Fellows an opportunity to learn of the challenges and advantages of participating in a charter school—an area of particular interest to the Fellows.

The Fellows have also demonstrated their commitment to developing future public leaders. They have previously mentored students from the Center for the Study of the Presidency and The Washington Center Intern Program, and plan on working with Presidential Classroom students in July.

The 2001-2002 White House Fellows have not only made a positive impact on their community, but have also had the opportunity to learn first-hand how government policies affect citizens locally. Steve Poizner (’01-’02) summarizes the experience of participating in community service as being “very rewarding and inspirational,” and is convinced “that community service groups, working at the local level, can have a substantial impact on the positive development of its members.”

--By Bruce McClintock (‘01-’02)