NCVS is next week in San Francisco, and will bring together thousands of volunteer and service leaders from around the country — and world.

The National Conference on Volunteering and Service (NCVS) is the world’s largest gathering of volunteer and service leaders from the nonprofit, government and corporate sectors. Co-convened by Points of Light Institute and the Corporation for National and Community Service, the annual event gives participants an opportunity to learn, connect and be inspired through a wide range of plenary sessions, workshops, special events, service projects, exhibits, specialized corporate tracks, and more. More than 4,000 attendees are expected to attend the 2009 conference, taking place June 22-24 in San Francisco.  

One thing I am getting really excited about — other than getting to see old friends and meet new people (you?) — is the mini-film festival taking place Tuesday afternoon from 4-6 pm.

Two films are showing at the conference as part of the Civic.Energy.Generation. Film Festival:

• THE WAY WE GET BY
• American Idealist: The Story of Sargent Shriver

The first film — about senior volunteers who staff a welcome center in the airport at Bangor, Maine, to receive returning military folks is sure to be moving, and the second — well, Sarge is one of my heroes: a true Greatest Generation public servant, World War II vet like my grandfather, Peace Corps’s founding director and developer, who married a strong and accomplished woman Eunice Shriver, and fathered a brood of superstar kids including California First Lady Maria (who will be speaking at the conference!) and Tim, as well as a brood of outstanding Federal programs like Job Corps, VISTA, and Head Start.

With a toddler at home and a job that never slows down, it’s not easy for me to read for pleasure these days, but I spent a couple months this spring reading Scott Stossel’s authorized biography Sarge: The Life and Times of Sargent Shriver — I renewed it at least twice from the library to have enough time! His story is an inspiration on so many levels—for me, right now, what resonates most is how much good he was able to achieve professionally and still maintain a vibrant family life. I was really happy to see American Idealist included in the screenings.

Anyway so if you’re heading to NCVS, I’d love to see you at the screenings.

More about NCVS:

The conference, co-convened by the Points of Light Institute and the Corporation for National and Community Service, is the nation’s largest gathering of service and volunteering leaders.  This year’s theme — “Civic. Energy. Generation.” — reflects the “excitement in the nation as people of all ages and backgrounds unify in a powerful movement to bring about social change” according to conference organizers.

In addition to Maria Shriver — honorary Chair of CaliforniaVolunteers, which is the largest state service commission in the country and founder of WE Build and WE Garden, a children’s playground and community garden-building initiative — other speakers will include:

John Donahoe, President and CEO of ebay Inc.; David Gergen, professor and Senior Political Analyst for CNN; Joshua DuBois, Executive Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, John B. Veihmeyer, CEO and Deputy Chairman of KPMG LLP; Megan Smith, General Manager, Google.org; Dr. Julianne Malveaux, President of Bennett College for Women, and Cheryl Dorsey, President of Echoing Green. Additional high-profile speakers will be announced later this week.

And other conference highlights include:

• First Lady Michelle Obama has been confirmed to offer the keynote address at the opening session.

• A CEO roundtable featuring top business leaders discussing employee volunteer programs and corporate civic engagement including CEO’s from KPMG LLP, Accenture LTD., Quaker Oats Company and others.

• More than 175 workshops and forums focusing on a variety of topics from fundraising to empowering and mentoring the next generation of leaders.

• Opportunities to share input and learn from officials of the Corporation for National and Community Service about implementation plans for the Serve America Act.

• Additional information regarding the availability of more than $1 million via the Volunteer Impact, Retention and Expansion (VIRE) funds, which will increase the nation’s volunteer infrastructure.

• A Civic.Energy.Generation Film Festival, screening two award-winning documentaries related to the service movement

• Town hall forums and off-site immersion learning sessions on hot topics such as navigating the economic downturn, national service policy, social innovation, education reform, going green, faith and poverty, using social media, and more.