Keeping Promises

Ebony, July, 1999 by Laura B. Randolph

Gen. Colin L. Powell mobilizes a coalition to help America's youth

EVERYWHERE he goes, Colin Powell gets The Question. "People say to me: `So you had a big media event two years ago, but what has happened since?" says the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, referring to the much-hyped summit in Philadelphia at which he announced "America's Promise--the Alliance for Youth," his national campaign to improve the plight of the nation's youth (particularly kids at risk of falling prey to violence, drugs and teenage pregnancy) by the year 2000.

Thanks to Powell's considerable star power, what has happened since has more than made good on the hype. In response to his request that "every single person who has been successful give some of their time, talent and money to help a child in need," more than 600 public and private organizations and thousands of individuals have pledged hundreds of millions of dollars in contributions and millions of hours in volunteer time to help Powell build a national coalition that will provide America's youth with the five basic resources he believes every child needs to have a decent start in life--an ongoing relationship with a caring adult, a safe place to learn and grow, a healthy start, a marketable skill and an opportunity to give back through community service.

"If we can give kids these basics," Powell says, "we can transform them from potential delinquents and dependents into good citizens. It can't happen overnight, but if we keep at it, it can happen child by child, street by street, neighborhood by neighborhood, city by city."

Though Powell could have done anything he wanted after he retired as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that's the message he has chosen to devote his life to spreading, at least until the year 2000. As the driving force and unpaid leader of America's Promise, Powell has spent the last two years traveling the country to secure specific commitments of time and money from major companies like LensCrafters (providing I million free eye exams to children and over 150,000 pairs of free eyeglasses), Kmart (giving at least $50 million to support drug-fighting and drug-prevention programs), Marriott Corp. (providing 45,000 mentoring and tutoring opportunities for youngsters interested in the lodging industry), Kellogg USA (advertising the goals of "America's Promise" on more than 100 million of its cereal packages, reaching twice the daily circulation of the top 25 U.S. newspapers), and United Airlines (increasing its mentoring program tenfold and launching the College Plus Volunteer Miles program, which will give frequent-flier miles to college students who perform volunteer service for charities and non-profit organizations). As happy as Powell is to receive such corporate commitments, he makes it clear to America's CEOs that their willingness to step up and support his organization is in their own self-interest. "I tell them I'm not asking for [their] charity," says the 61-year-old retired general and former Sunday School teacher. "I'm asking for your investment in your own well-being for the future. Just the other day I was talking with the head of Marriott about this and I said, `You know, Bill [Marriott], this is about investing in America's future because if we don't invest in these kids, they are not going to be able to get a job; and if they don't have a job, they are not going to be making any money; and if they aren't making any money, they won't be staying at the Marriott.'"

For many CEOs, not to mention civic leaders and average citizens, the real appeal of Powell's let's-help-kids plea, indeed the reason they have responded so enthusiastically to his call, is that he doesn't just ask others to spend their time and money helping young people; like the soldier and American hero he is, he rolls up his sleeves and puts his money, time and talent where his mouth is. "I wanted something I could impact at the kids' level," says Powell, explaining why he "adopted" Macfarland Middle School, a primarily Black and Hispanic school in Washington, D.C. "I wanted something that was mine--where I had the responsibility to make something happen."

And make something happen he has. In addition to his frequent visits to the school, "just to walk the hallways and have lunch with the kids," Powell has had the nurse's office restored and the library rebuilt. "We tripled the size of the library," he says proudly. "We got books from my publisher and put in 100 computers."

While the students couldn't be happier about the changes, Powell says the school librarian is less than ecstatic. "She's mad at me," he says, half joking, half serious. "The last time I was there, she said to me: `You know, General, I used to have a life. Now, the kids won't let me go home in the afternoon. All they want to do is use the library.' She's harried and harassed, but she's loving every second of it."

Following Powell's example, numerous African-Americans have made impressive commitments to his not-for-profit, Alexandria, Va.-based organization. When, for example, Janet Jackson heard about the organization's goals, she donated 25 cents from every ticket sold from her "Velvet Rope" tour. "The goal of America's Promise is close to my heart--to provide love and nourishment to millions of kids in need," she said.