PRESIDENT Clinton, flanked by former presidents, called yesterday on Americans to volunteer more free time to help two million "at risk" children by the year 2000. It was the key event in the three day "Presidents' Summit for America's Future".
The appeals by Mr Clinton, the Vice President, Mr Gore, and former Presidents Bush, Carter and Ford, with Nancy Reagan representing her husband who is suffering from Alzheimer's disease, were made in front of Independence Hall, the cradle of the republic.
Here were drawn up the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution over 200 years ago, and the famous but cracked Liberty Bell was another backdrop to what was intended to be an inspirational occasion for the whole country.
Party politics were set inside as the presidents and Gen Colin Powell, who is chairing the summit, encouraged the thousands of delegates from volunteer organisations and churches to redouble efforts to reach out to children in need. Later in the day, many of the biggest corporations pledged millions of dollars to back up this crusade.
Gen Powell, who offered his services to help children when he retired as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will also head the follow up operation. The aim is to ensure that two million of the 15 million young people estimated "at risk" from illiteracy, drugs and crime will have a "mentor" for one on one guidance by the year 2000.
Besides a mentor, each child is to be guaranteed a safe environment, health care, a marketable skill and an opportunity to give back through community service. There is scepticism about whether such ambitious goals can be accomplished but optimism was the message yesterday from Independence Hall.
There was a noisier, more colourful kickoff to the Presidents' Summit on Sunday in a stadium where 5,000 volunteers were dispatched to clean up an eight mile stretch of Germantown Road running through depressed neighbourhoods.
President Clinton laid aside the crutches to do some painting over graffiti. He and Hillary also read to five year olds from a story called The Giving Tree. Persuading more Americans In give time to teach children to read is one of his main goals.
The Bushes were also hard at work painting. The former president was asked about those who were protesting against the volunteer summit as a hypocritical exercise by a government which is cutting back on welfare. "They should go home and drink beer and watch TV, which a lot of them do anyhow," he snapped.
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter have been volunteering for years helping to build houses for the poor so cleaning up was no problem. The former president, who was defeated by Ronald Reagan in 1980, is still a popular figure, especially with African Americans, who cheered him at length when he said that while there was no doubt that in America they had freedom "we do not yet have equality, in many ways we have two Americas", one a rich nation and the other deprived.
Mr Carter, now 73, later told an interviewer that he detected a new meanness and a harshness" among many Americans directed towards poor people.
The protesters downtown rallied under the banner of the National People's Campaign to accuse the Clinton Administration and the Republican dominated Congress of cutting back on welfare. The big corporations, which are offering millions of dollars to help the volunteer efforts were also accused of hypocrisy as they laid off thousands of workers to boost corporate profits.
A much different protest voice was heard from a yuppie group, the Coalition of Students Against Servitude. They are followers of the philosopher/novelist Ayn Rand, who preached "objectivism" or putting self interest first.
Carrying banners saying "Bill Clinton wants your life" and "I am not a sacrificial lamb", they admit they are "easy to marginalise as self indulgent bastards". They say it is fine to do volunteer work but it should not be held up as a superior act.