GOP National Convention staff puts in 1000 volunteer hours in community

Besides pulling together a national convention, what else has the Republican National Convention's staff been doing in Minnesota?

Volunteering.

2008 Republican National Convention’s American Neighbor
Program Celebrates 1,000 Hours of Community Service

SAINT PAUL, Minn. - Staff participating in the 2008 Republican National Convention’s American Neighbor program marked the initiative’s 1,000th hour of community service today while volunteering at a home being built in Woodbury, Minn., for Sergeant Marcus Kuboy, a wounded Iraq War veteran. The milestone is the culmination of 11 months of activities, during which convention staff has participated in a variety of community service projects in and around Minneapolis-Saint Paul.

"Our staff has been touched by the generosity of our host cities, and the American Neighbor program is our small way of saying thank you," said Maria Cino, President and CEO of the 2008 Republican National Convention. "It is fitting that the program reached the 1,000-hour milestone while working on a home for Sergeant Marcus Kuboy, an American hero who epitomizes Senator McCain’s call to serve a cause greater than self-interest."

Home for Our Troops, a non-profit organization that builds homes for severely-wounded American troops, broke ground on the home for SGT Kuboy in April. A joint project of the 2008 Republican National Convention, the Credit Union National Association and its affiliated Minnesota Credit Union Network, and the National Journal Group, the home has been specially adapted for SGT Kuboy.

The home construction project is part of the 2008 Republican National Convention’s American Neighbor volunteer program, a service initiative aimed at giving back to the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area and inspiring Republicans across the nation to take action in their own communities. Over the past 11 months, convention staff has participated in several volunteer projects across the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metro area. They have served meals at the Dorothy Day Center, organized and shipped food donations at Second Harvest Heartland and assisted in an Earth Day Watershed Cleanup event. In addition, staff members spent more than 250 hours volunteering at the Special Olympics, which were held in June.