 Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States. Mr. President, as volunteer chairman of the Advertising Council, together with the Council President, Bob Keim, we thank you so very much for meeting with us today. This is, of course, the high point of our 42nd Washington Council conference. And fortunately for us, I guess one of the reasons you're here is that you and Mrs. Reagan know a lot about the work of the Advertising Council. And indeed, you've participated personally in many of our public service campaigns. You personally have contributed your time and your considerable talent to take messages in support of the Statue of Liberty, United Way, the Guard and the Reserve, Savings Bonds, Peace Corps, United Negro College Fund, the Red Cross, and even some other vital causes. Some years back, the Council developed an award to help us salute and thank volunteers, and it's a bell, a silver bell, and it's become something of a tradition for us. We chose a bell because throughout our history and in the forming of this free nation, the bell has been used to sound alarm, to warn of danger, to summon people to arms. And it's also been used to celebrate peace, for joy, to declare freedom, to call our people to worship, to call our youth to learning, and to guide our ships into safe harbor. And now this classic symbol of communication is utilized by the Council to acknowledge the distinguished public service of dedicated men and women in advertising, communications, and in government. And so we wish to salute you today and to thank you so very much. We went a little bit beyond our silver bell today. Mr. President, we have come up with the first gold bell. We ask you to accept this gold bell. It bears an inscription, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States for outstanding support of public service campaigns of the Advertising Council, April 8th, 1986. Mr. President, we thank you. Thank you all very, very much. And I'm very pleased to see you all here. I'm very grateful for this honor that has just been done me. But ladies and gentlemen of the Advertising Council, I also want to thank you because it was the first gold bell award. It's a gift that I'll always cherish. I also want to wish you a good afternoon and evening to come. Spring's beginning to make itself felt here in Washington, and so I want to also welcome you to the White House. Special greetings to your Chairman, Jim Rosenfeld, your President, Bob Keim, who will soon be celebrating his 20-year mark at your helm. I called him kid. And your former Chairman, Jack Elliott. I know that each has done much to keep the Advertising Council so successful. I also have to thank you for the videotape that shows so many of your television advertisements, and I want you to know that as a former member of a not unrelated profession, I give you my compliments. The scripts were solid. The production values were high. And each spot was executed with a real sense of style. I can't help but thinking if I'd been working with people like you, I never would have left Hollywood. There was one advertisement in particular that caught my attention. The spot on behalf of US Savings Bonds featured the very famous television actor, Donald T. Regan. You made Don Regan look so good, I understand it. Steven Spielberg wants to sign him up. You see, Spielberg wants to make a movie about Don's money management days at the Treasury Department, and call it, you've got to forgive me for this one, the color green. It is indeed an honor to welcome you here this afternoon. You've done so much to make the United States healthier, safer, and a more giving nation. Your ad campaigns have educated and uplifted the American people and improved the quality of our lives immeasurably. Again and again, you've demonstrated the power of volunteerism, that vital aspect of the American spirit and way of life. Indeed, each year you print, broadcast, or display public service advertisements and media outlets that number well over 20,000. All this is made possible through immense generosity, including that of more than 30 advertising agencies that shape your campaigns, and that of the many corporations who help to underwrite your efforts. Indeed, this corporate commitment to the Advertising Council is personified by the presence here today of James Burke, Chairman of your industry's advisory committee and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Johnson and Johnson, and Jim, I thank you for all that you've done. There you are. I was looking forward to meeting you. I know I shouldn't have been looking for you to my left. But I'd like to add one final word of thanks for something that's meant a great deal to Nancy and me, your efforts to fight drug abuse. As you know, Nancy has dedicated countless hours to this battle, and again and again she's seen families torn apart by drug abuse and young lives that have been destroyed. Sometimes we both get a little discouraged. But every time we see one of your ads, often on the television upstairs, we know there's hope. Your efforts in the fight against drug abuse, indeed all your efforts, represent a major investment in the future of our country. And on behalf of all Americans, I thank you. You know, I have just finished talking in one of our meetings today about our efforts at drug abuse and what the government is doing with regard to our attempts to intersect and confiscate the drugs that are being imported into the country. And we'll continue to do that. But that really can never be the real answer, not with coastlines as long as ours. The real answer is going to be with something that you've been associated with. And that is when we take the people away from the drugs by convincing them that they don't want to patronize the drug dealers anymore. And that's where we'll have the real success and end that. Oh, there's so many things I'd like to talk to you about, talking about volunteerism and what it means to our country. I suppose all of you know that last year, we broke all the records, $74 billion, given privately to good causes, education, charity, and so forth by the people of this country. And you had to have had a lot to do with that. And in our own volunteerism program here, since the beginning, when we began to check on what was going on all over the country, we still have computerized here and on file over 3,000 volunteer programs that are going on in the country. And that anyone that wants to find out how they can solve a community problem or something can come here and we can put them in touch with people that have already started such a program. But most of all, let me just finish by telling you that one night in a dinner here in the White House, the wife of an ambassador was sitting on my left and we were talking at the table about some things that had been done and it had to do with volunteerism and something that had just happened. And she very quietly interrupted. I won't identify the country to embarrass anyone. She said to me, yes, but you must remember you're unique. And I said, what do you mean? She says, yes, in America you can resolve that problem that way. But she says only here. She said in all the other countries, our own included, she said we wait for government to do it. She said it's only you that are unique, that you go out and the people voluntarily get it done. She made me very proud and I think all of us should be very proud. It is a unique thing that this country has and let's never give it up. And now I'm just going to conclude by telling you a little experience to prove that I once was in the business when I was a sports announcer. And radio. And one night, a late Amy Semple McPherson came to our city to hold some revival meetings and an enterprising public relations man thought it would be a good idea if she were interviewed. Now, why she should be interviewed by a sports announcer, I'll never know. I drew the assignment and I asked her some questions and then she went into a very fervent plea concerning the success of her meetings. And I knew it was through with answering questions. So I sat down and suddenly looking up at the clock, I heard her saying good night to our radio audience. And it was more than four minutes left by the clock. I didn't know enough about her that I could put on the air to fill four minutes. And I jumped up and liked the dear old days of radio. I did like this, which means get a record ready. And then in my most dulcet zones, I said, ladies and gentlemen, we conclude this broadcast by the noted evangelist, Amy Semple McPherson, with a brief interlude of transcribed music. I expected nothing less than the Ave Maria. The Mills Brothers started singing many of the Moucher's wedding day. Well, it's been great seeing all of you, and God bless you all, and thank you.