President Obama Becomes 7th President to Sign Declaration to Fulfill Promise of America

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- President Obama today became the seventh consecutive president to sign a declaration calling on all Americans to do more to help young people in America reach their full potential.

In an Oval Office ceremony, Obama added his signature to the Presidents' Declaration to Fulfill the Promise of America. The Declaration, the centerpiece of the Presidents' Summit for America's Future in Philadelphia in 1997, originally was signed by then-President Bill Clinton; former presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and George H.W. Bush; and Nancy Reagan on behalf of Ronald Reagan. In July 2001, President George W. Bush added his signature.

The Declaration is the only known instance in American history to include the signatures of seven consecutive presidents.

"By signing onto the Declaration, President Obama gives fresh momentum to this vital national priority," said Alma J. Powell, chair of the America's Promise Alliance board of directors, who witnessed the Oval Office signing. "It takes constant effort to keep children on track toward adult success. The extension of a commitment at the presidential level sends a powerful statement of this nation's collective determination to do better for all young people in America."

America's Promise Alliance was founded in the wake of the 1997 presidential summit, and has been both the keeper of the Summit Declaration and the leader of a broad national alliance of organizations, governments and people from all sectors, working in common cause to keep the Declarations' five promises to American youth.

"The Promise of America must extend to all Americans, and we have a special responsibility to help children who are not getting what they need to have a fair chance to achieve the American Dream," said Gen. Colin L. Powell, USA (ret.) who served as the founding chairman of America's Promise Alliance. "Their future and our future are one and the same."

"There is a reason that every president for the last 40 years has signed onto this Declaration. It articulates the conditions for success that most of us experienced as children, and that all of us want for our own children," said John Gomperts, president and CEO of America's Promise Alliance. "Those conditions live in the five promises set forth in the Presidents' Declaration: caring adults to guide and mentor; safe environments to learn, live and grow; healthy starts and healthy futures; effective education that builds marketable skills; and ultimately, opportunities to serve others."

About America's Promise Alliance
America's Promise Alliance is the nation's largest partnership dedicated to improving the lives of children and youth. We bring together more than 350 national organizations representing nonprofit groups, businesses, communities, educators and policymakers. Through our GradNation campaign, we mobilize Americans to end the high school dropout crisis and prepare young people for college and the 21^st century workforce. Building on the legacy of our founding chairman Gen. Colin L. Powell, USA (ret.), America's Promise believes the success of young people is grounded in the Five Promises—Caring Adults, Safe Places, A Healthy Start, Effective Education, and Opportunities to Help Others. For more information, visit AmericasPromise.org.

Contact: Daria Hall, America's Promise Alliance
(202) 657-0621 (o) | (718) 404-7448 (c/t) | [email protected]

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SOURCE America's Promise Alliance