"We need your service right now, in this moment-our moment-in history. I'm not going to tell you what your role should be; that's for you to discover. But I am going to ask you to play your part; ask you to stand up; ask you to put your foot firmly into the current history."
-Barack Obama |July 2, 2008

Last fall, President-elect Barack Obama called upon Americans to stand up and serve-to find a way to help their community and make a contribution. One year later, HarperOne offers a remarkable book to help readers get started on this journey. Inspired by President Obama's call to action, SPIRIT OF SERVICE: Your Daily Stimulus for Making a Difference (HarperOne, on-sale October 20, 2009, Hardcover; $23.99) is a daily guide that explores the many ways we can get involved in service to others. With 365 specific suggestions, and an interactive website (www.spiritofservice365.com) featuring opportunities around the nation, there is truly a calling for everyone.

For the first time, renowned experts in fields of charity, volunteering, and activism come together to offer a yearlong guide that inspires readers to engage in service and express compassion to others and themselves. Editor Nancy Hancock explains: "Spirit of Service promotes the idea that individuals can make a difference and that at any moment you can influence an outcome. And guess what? That moment is every moment. Any time you want to heed the call, you can. You can become bigger than you are."

Spirit of Service lists over 500 organizations with information about how to help. It provides daily ways to serve in every arena, including the environment, human rights, elder care, youth services, hunger relief, animal conservation, troop support, green living, the arts, literacy, historic preservation, civic participation, and more.

Arranged in a daily format, each week of Spirit of Service offers seven different ways to serve:

• MONEY: Donate-find ways your money can make a difference.
• ENERGY: Volunteer-put intention into action
• FOCUS: Create interest in a cause to bring about change
• INFLUENCE:Use your personal equity to help others
• COMPASSION: Open your heart to the needs of others
• SUPPORT: Get involved-stand up for those without a voice
• PASSAGE: Join someone on their journey as a guide or mentor

Thoroughly researched and filled with a wealth of ideas, from the everyday to the offbeat, Spirit of Service offers activities that are suitable for all ages and skill levels, for individuals or families, and for helping out at home and abroad. As the introduction explains, "This book is about cultivating the spirit of service, meaning you will be opening your heart your mind, your resources and your calendar to the needs of others. The hope is that you will find your unique connection to ways in which you want to be involved in the world." Many people want to give back, but aren’t sure how to do it. Opening this book is the first step towards making a difference.

HarperOne

HarperOne

At HarperOne, our commitment to excellence began over 30 years ago with HarperSanFrancisco’s first three seasons. Since then, our books have offered new pathways, broken down barriers, and served as valued sources of inspiration and information for millions of seekers, students, scholars, and general readers. Our authors rank among the world’s leading voices of wisdom, learning, faith, change, hope, and healing, and have been responsible for beginning new publishing trends, revealing secrets of the scribes, and pushing the boundaries of form, language, and spirit.

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