Heart of the Nation

Heart of the Nation traces America’s volunteer tradition―the golden thread of American democracy―and how Presidents from Washington to Obama have called on citizens to serve neighbor and nation. From the bunker below the White House on 9/11 to villages in Africa, John Bridgeland shares his own experiences inside and outside of government to spark more Americans to volunteer to meet urgent needs. He compellingly argues that such service is fundamental to our own happiness and to what the Founding Fathers envisioned when they talked about the “pursuit of Happiness” in the Declaration of Independence. Bridgeland helps the reader discover their own volunteer service mission and issues a rallying cry to the nation to heal our partisan divisions by joining together across party lines to address our toughest challenges.

John Bridgeland is President & CEO of Civic Enterprises, a public policy firm in Washington, D.C. Bridgeland was recently appointed by President Obama to the White House Council for Community Solutions. Formerly, Bridgeland served as Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council in the first term of President George W. Bush and then as Assistant to the President of the United States and first Director of the USA Freedom Corps, where he coordinated policy on international, national, community and faith-based service in the aftermath of 9/11. Bridgeland also was a co-convener of ServiceNation, a Presidential forum with Senators John McCain and Barack Obama on September 11, 2008, and a national summit that showcased a comprehensive plan to increase community, national and international service opportunities. For his work in promoting the national service agenda, Bridgeland was selected a NonProfit Times Executive of the Year. He lives with his wife, Maureen, and their three children, Caily, Fallon and Regis in McLean, Virginia.