It just so happened that my dad’s roommate became a guy whose nine-to-five is changing the world. A couple of months ago, on Sept. 11, he arranged the first joint appearance by John McCain and Barack Obama after the conventions—the ServiceNation Presidential Forum. The following day, governors, congressmen, corporate CEOs, celebrities, and even President Marx were drawn to New York City for the ServiceNation Summit, a product of the roommate’s vision and efforts. My father’s college roommate is Alan Khazei, and surprisingly, as Marx acknowledges, he’s “not a household name (yet) for students.” Not far removed from the summit, Khazei will be joining us at Amherst College on Friday, November 14 to lead a discussion to wrap up Awareness Week.
Khazei is not exactly your typical person of influence. He is neither rich nor famous. He does not wear a political hat, nor does he command any industries; in fact, he has spent his life doing one of our culture’s least glamorous jobs. Not long ago he was just like any one of us—a college student alive with ideas.
Fresh out of law school, Khazei co-founded City Year in 1988. Feeling compelled to assist ailing communities in Boston, he and a friend developed a stratagem, acted on it, and it worked. Twenty years later, City Year is one of our country’s preeminent service organizations, supporting 1,400 young people each year in 18 cities who have committed a year of their lives to civic engagement. City Year corps members spend their days mentoring and tutoring underprivileged youth, rehabilitating public spaces and organizing after-school programs. In 1993, very much inspired by City Year, Bill Clinton established the AmeriCorps program to provide funding for City Year and like organizations. Clinton and Nelson Mandela teamed with Khazei to bring City Year to South Africa. Two years ago, Khazei was selected as one of U.S. News and World Report’s America’s 25 Best Leaders. The transformational effect of City Year on communities has been immeasurable.
Despite City Year’s successes, Khazei was not about to get complacent; to the contrary, he began to think bigger. City Year has been so effective in profoundly impacting the diverse corps members as well as the beneficiaries of their service — what if every American had the opportunity and felt the responsibility to volunteer? Shouldn’t everyone feel compelled to give back? Undaunted by their enormous implications, he addressed these questions head on.
By chance, I was in the Boston area for college visits with my dad on the cool April night in 2007 when Khazei announced he was splitting from City Year to start a new organization, Be the Change, Inc. He stood a few steps up from the base of a fancy spiral staircase, ready to speak to an audience of about 50 well-to-do friends who clustered in the living room, unsure of what they were about to hear (or how much they were about to be pressured into donating). He spoke, and I left that night with a skip in my step.
Khazei’s speech was riveting. He spoke of his vision for a new America defined by a culture of volunteerism. He spoke of our intrinsic desire to do good and its potential to change the world if we properly tap into it. He discussed the obstacles and societal pressures that hinder opportunities to serve. He spoke of service not only in terms of helping those in need, but as a means for bringing together citizens of diverse backgrounds, for solving problems in education and health care, for transforming our global image and for learning about ourselves. He spoke of the ability of individuals — especially young people — to be agents of social change when they unite in the name of service, for the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
“What would our world look like,” Khazei asked, “if the most common question asked of 18-year-olds is ‘where are you going to do your year of service?’”
His was the most motivating, inspirational speech I had ever heard in person — and I’m putting Khazei above Barack Obama, so I don’t say that lightly.
Swimming in Khazei’s words as I lay in bed that night, I must admit that as hopeful and inspired as I was, I could not suppress my cynicism. I loved every word that came out of his mouth, I knew that his vision could transform America, and yet I wondered: How can he possibly make anything of this? Where does he go from here? Who will listen to him? Aren’t these donors wasting their money? Isn’t he wasting his time? After all, he was just “Al” to me, my dad’s roommate, a nice-guy without financial influence or political leverage.
Shame on me. No more than a year and a half later, I was at the ServiceNation Summit, getting stepped on by Caroline Kennedy, brushing shoulders with Jon Bon Jovi, and listening to senators and entrepreneurs give shout-outs to Khazei as they reiterated his phenomenal ideas. Time published a special issue, Senators Orrin Hatch and Ted Kennedy introduced a service bill, and thousands signed his Declaration of Service. Khazei is making service cool, the way Barack made voting cool and Joe made plumbing cool.
More than ever, I was pumped up by the thought of a national service movement. But the most inspirational part of the Summit wasn’t the message that was conveyed; rather, it was seeing Khazei at his finest. Between the time I saw him speaking on the staircase to the time I saw him shaking hands with McCain and Obama, Khazei had taken his vision and orchestrated a national coalition. While most people are either cynical or all talk, Alan addresses his idealism with a rare “git ’er done” attitude. Khazei preaches about the potential that normal individuals have to make a difference in the world — inspiring and powerful, but hardly a novel idea. However, Al is living proof that anybody — even your very average roommate — can do something great.
The message of ServiceNation — and the story of Khazei — is especially appropriate following this historic election. In his victory speech, President-elect Obama asserted: “This victory alone is not the change we seek — it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It can’t happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice. So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other.”
That we care about service and change is undeniable. The challenge is to excite the despondent citizen, making him understand that he doesn’t have to end global hunger to make a tangible difference, that he doesn’t have to succumb to the obstacles and social pressures and busy lifestyle that too often inhibit his desire to do good. The goal is to create a culture of social responsibility and large-scale civic engagement, for when each individual truly believes that he can make a difference, this collective effort can ensure that the belief will come true.
So it all starts with you. After all, as cool as it would be for your roommate to become an American hero, wouldn’t it be even cooler if you were the one changing the world?