“Historically, economic hard times can be tough on civic engagement — involvement dropped during the Great Depression, for example — but experts say that doesn’t take into account new social technologies, a burst of political involvement among the young and a president who has inspired many.”
USA Today December 8, 2010 Richard and Linda Stover had more time on their hands after they stopped working. So they started working again — this time to help their community. Through Ministries United South Central Louisville, which assists the…
Thanksgiving is more than just turkey and football and holiday shopping. We think of today’s holiday to be a family affair, first celebrate between the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians.
The 2010 Civic Health Assessment found that 89% of people frequently eat dinner with other members of their household. These tight family bonds, which the holidays promote, lead to more civic and political participation. Volunteering or participating in another form of engagement as a family during Thanksgiving should help both tighten family bonds and get at the heart of the intra-community interaction first celebrated in 1621.
Mark Shriver is the son of the late Sargent Shriver—lifelong activist and first director of the Peace Corps—and has authored a soon-to-be-released book on his father’s legacy, entitled “A Good Man.”
Read the interview with Mark and tell us the story of your own personal civic hero.