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Fifteen hours after the first Presidential debate concluded, volunteers took part in a national Day of Action to demonstrate that “We are a Service Nation.” In Boston, the Hyatt Regency Hotel hosted advocates of national service, AmeriCorps alums, nonprofit and faith-based organizations, and representatives from the government – including staff from the offices of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, and Boston City Councilors. In front of an enlarged TIME Magazine cover featuring service proposals (and cartoons!) of Senators McCain and Obama, speakers called for expanded service opportunities, while public servants from every generation spoke about the potential impact to be felt from more Americans participating in national service.

This month Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) unveiled the Serve America Act of 2008—a landmark piece of legislation that proposes several America Forward policy ideas: a Community Solutions Fund Network to bring effective solutions to scale, a Commission on Cross-Sector Solutions to spur change within the federal government, and Serve America Fellowships to support future social entrepreneurs.

Volunteers at the DNC Delegate Service Day

Michelle Obama meets with America Forward Organizations

We’re delighted to see national service pushing even farther to the forefront of politicians’ and media leaders’ minds! Only last week, Richard Stengel, managing editor of TIME magazine, trumpeted the launch of Be the Change’s ServiceNation campaign in September as a real “place for not only dialogue but also action.” Be the Change, a member of the America Forward Coalition, is organizing grassroots efforts and supporting legislation to bring about “better public policy, promote active citizenship and citizen democracy.”

The face of social entrepreneurship isn’t just that of the young and energetic. Rather, giving back is something that more and more Americans at all stages of life want to do. Even after traditional retirement, almost half of the 78 million aging baby boomers are considering taking up “encore careers” in the social sector. “Our dodderdom may have consequences for society every bit as profound as our youth did!” writes Nicholas Kristof in Sunday’s New York Times. When service is no longer a passing passion of the young, but an integral part of the national ethos, America’s “leaders and citizens will [be able to] work together to foster innovation in the social sector!” The leadership that experienced, older Americans bring to the social sector can provide a model for full national involvement in service, and add weight and authority to the innovations of social entrepreneurs.

It’s strange to think that even though the vast majority of Americans live and work in cities, “urban still equals “bad” in the minds of many Americans and in the stories of the American press.” Shouldn’t they be homes and centers of life and light for those who live there? CEOs for Cities and NOLA YURP (New Orleans Young Urban Rebuilding Professionals Initiative) certainly think so; and together they’re hosting the Urban Next Summit in New Orleans from July 24-25 to share ideas on how to revitalize sagging urban communities.

What difference can national service volunteers make to us? “I can literally tell you that if it was not for them, […] we would be much worse off,” says Mike Russell, Alderman of Clarksville, Missouri. To be exact, if it were not for the efforts of AmeriCorps relief teams, the surging Mississippi River would likely be running through Clarksville’s City Hall today.