Key organizations from around the country will attend February 27 event in New York City

Contact: Andrew Walther, Knights of Columbus, 203-824-5412 

NEW YORK, Feb. 27 /Standard Newswire/ -- Many of the nation's largest volunteer-promoting organizations will meet in New York City to plan an unprecedented volunteer response to the economic crisis.

Nearly 175 representatives from more than 100 charitable, religious, corporate, government, media and educational institutions will attend today's summit entitled "A Nation of Neighbors Helping Neighbors: Volunteerism as a response to the economic crisis."

The summit is sponsored by the Knights of Columbus and Fairfield University's Center for Faith and Public Life.

The summit will be held at the Marriott East Side in New York City on February 27, and will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

"The response - on such short notice - by so many of our nation's top volunteer-promoting organizations shows just how much need there is for a personal response to the economic crisis that has hurt neighbors in each of our communities," said Carl Anderson. "No solution to this crisis will be complete if it does not include the invaluable person to person component, and detailed community knowledge that the organizations assembled today bring to the table."

Anderson will issue key challenges related to promoting volunteerism to government, non-profit, corporate, media, educational and religious leaders in his closing speech. He will also announce a major initiative with Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network.

"This crisis is unprecedented in our lifetimes," said Anderson, "and our response must be as well."

In a speech Jan. 23 at Fairfield University, Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus - one of the nation's most active volunteer organizations - invited the nation's top charitable and volunteer organizations to attend the summit.

Attending organizations include affiliates of Habitat for Humanity, the United Way, the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, the Lion's Club, Campus Compact, the National Fraternal Congress, the New York City Coalition Against Hunger, General Electric, the Foodbank of Greater New Jersey Connecticut Public Broadcasting, Goldman Sachs, Volunteers of America, Yale University, United Jewish Appeal Federation of New York and the University of Notre Dame.

The summit will feature three panel discussions with speakers from top national and regional volunteer organizations and programs. Additionally, all attendees will be included in round-table discussions on the issue of tapping volunteerism to aid in our nation's economic recovery. The event will broadcast on the web at www.kofc.org. A schedule is available at www.kofc.org/summit.