Clinton touts America’s volunteer spirit in hurricane benefit address

Former President Bill Clinton praised Americans’ history of volunteer work at a benefit concert for hurricane victims on Saturday, telling the crowd that volunteering in the wake of crises dates back before America’s founding.

In remarks at Texas A&M’s Reed Arena Saturday night, Clinton pointed to Benjamin Franklin’s volunteer fire brigade as the forefathers of the volunteers helping victims of several major hurricanes that have struck the U.S. in recent months.

“We’ve been volunteering since before our Constitution,” Clinton said, “when Benjamin Franklin organized the first volunteer fire department in Philadelphia. Our neighbors, our friends, have got an enormous amount of ‘sweat equity’ from all these volunteers, and a lot of money.”

Clinton joined with all four other living presidents on Saturday for the One America drive to raise money and supplies for victims of the storms as well as California wildfires. In his remarks, he cautioned that more work was needed to help Americans dig out from the damage caused by the storms, especially on the island territories of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.{mosads}

“But make no mistake about it, these were grievous storms back to back,” Clinton said. “There is still work to be done in Texas and in Florida, and our friends in Puerto Rico and the American Virgin Islands have only begun to dig their way out of what could be still a calamitous disaster…but can be a new beginning.”

“If we just do what we ought to do, and prove that the heart of America, without regard to race or religion or political party is greater than our problems,” he added to applause.

President Trump did not attend the event, but sent a video message to be played at the concert, thanking the former presidents for their efforts. The joint effort has raised $31 million for disaster relief, according to an announcement made before the concert.