Knock Out Dog Fighting Program Receives President's Volunteer Service Award - Kris Crawford
San Jose, CA .August 23, 2008 -- For Pits' Sake, Inc. announced today that they have been awarded the President's Volunteer Service Award for their safety, humane education and their anti-dog fighting youth intervention program "Knock Out Dog Fighting". Knock Out Dog Fighting's founder, Kris Crawford and her three pit bulls dogs - Cheyenne, Dakota & Tahoe also received the President's Lifetime Service Award for over a decade of service to the community. The President's Volunteer Service Award is a prestigous award given by the President of the United States to recognize the valuable contributions made by volunteers across the nation.
The President's Volunteer Service Awards is a national program created to thank and honor Americans who, by their demonstrated sustained commitment and example, inspire others to engage in volunteer service. Established in 2003, the award was created by President George W. Bush, and continued by President Barack Obama to give Presidential recognition to people and organizations who meet certain requirements for volunteer service. The award is a Presidential honor that recognizes the valuable contributions of volunteers nationwide who are answering Barack Obama's call to serve others.
Knock Out Dog Fighting has no paid staff so all the programs offered are performed by volunteer Knock Out Dog Fighting members who give up their time (often leaving their paying jobs) to give back to the community.
"It is indeed a privilege and an honor to accept the President's Volunteer Lifetime Service Award," said Crawford. "One doesn't engage in volunteer activity in order to get recognition. One does it to help make life just a little bit easier for someone else -- whether that be human or animal. I have learned that wishing for change doesn't produce change. We can't just sit around hoping someone will do something because more often than not, everyone else is sitting around hoping someone else will do something too!"
The award came with a letter from the President's Council on Service & Civic Participation. One of the paragraphs says, "This award recognizes your dedication to volunteer service and signifies that you have served your community. Through your volunteer efforts, you are demonstrating values that make our nation strong and you are helping build a culture of citizenship, service and responsibility in America and your country with distinction. By volunteering, you have joined a remarkable team whose everyday acts of kindness and decency make our country a better place. Congratulations again on receiving this Presidential Volunteer Service Award. And thank you for demonstrating the best of the American spirit."
A congratulatory letter from President Barack Obama was also presented with the award. It says, among other things:
"Congratulations on receiving the President's Volunteer Service Award, and thank you for helping address the most pressing needs in your community and your country. I am extremely proud to recognize your most outstanding volunteer efforts with this award. In my Inaugural address, I stated that we need a new era of responsibility -- a recognition on the part of every American that we have duties to ourselves, our Nation, and the World. These are duties that we do not grudgingly accept, but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit than giving our all to a difficult task. Your volunteer service demonstrates the kind of commitment that moves America a step closer to it's great promise. Thank you for your devotion to service and for doing all you can to shape a better tomorrow for our great nation."
