Several years ago, I met a successful businessman in Dallas and asked why he devoted so much of his time and resources to community causes. His answer was simple: 'I don't want to be a net taker.' …

At its best, America is a nation of net contributors. Veterans who serve. Teachers who inspire. Entrepreneurs who create opportunity. Volunteers who strengthen neighborhoods. Civic leaders who dedicate themselves to causes larger than themselves, and to a posterity they have not yet met…

Let us be contributors rather than consumers. Let us build stronger communities rather than merely criticize them. Let us continue the unfinished work of forming a more perfect Union.