Obama calls Pennsylvanians to serve
Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009
By: Elizabeth Fiedler
efiedler@whyy.org
Some Pennsylvanians are being called to volunteer as part of President Obama's United We Serve summer service initiative, but they won't be cleaning an empty lot or tutoring a child.
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The program gives attorneys, financial analysts, and banking and mortgage professionals the opportunity to provide financial and legal help to Pennsylvanians facing tough situations.
Attorney General Eric Holder says the program can serve as a model for others across the country.
Holder: You all will be helping families at risk of losing their homes, senior citizens whose fixed incomes don't enable them to make ends meet, parents who are trying to save to put their kids through college. These are difficult economic times, these are times when people have lots of questions, and need lots of guidance – the kind of guidance I think you all will be able to share.
Officials say the goal is to help Pennsylvanians in crisis, and there are plenty. In the first quarter of 2009 nearly 115,000 homeowners were delinquent on their mortgages.