Presidential Volunteer Service Award

My name is Minister Ralf Friedrichs 

It is an honor to accept the Presidential Volunteer Service Award.

Volunteering, a spirit which we can see all around our nation is very much alive and still growing in America. 

It's no overstatement to say that America is a nation of volunteers.

I think philosophers might want to contemplate the question: 

Why is the freest nation on Earth also the one in which it is so common to see people from every walk of life—rich and poor, young and old—rolling up their sleeves and pitching in to help others? 

Maybe it's just that we want to say thank you to the Lord who blessed our country with freedom. 

And the best way to do that is to care for our fellow human beings. And maybe that's why surveys say that most Americans agree that no matter how big and powerful government gets and how many services it provides, it can never take the place of volunteers.

Like America's volunteer spirit, my passioned mission is to continue to grow, reaching out to help more and more people.

I remember Years ago, a group of concerned mothers received an award for their efforts to combat drunk driving. 

Since then, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, or MADD, as they are known, has tripled in size, and now it has chapters in almost every State of the Union. I don't think there's any question that it has been largely their energy and determination that has helped bring about a significant drop in fatalities due to drunk driving.

This is the drive that I also possess.

My mission started with a simple blog 10 years ago. That blog turned into THE TAKE YOUR LIFE BACK TODAY SHOW  on YOUTUBE. That YOUTUBE show turned in a simulcasts podcast on Iheart radio, Itunes and Google music. 

Over those 10 years, I have written 6 books and donated many of them to libraries for folks to rent and read at no cost.

This is what we Americans can do for each other, volunteer to provide hope for a better tomorrow. 

It is never to late to start caring and helpin others- start today.

Thank you all very much.