As president of an automobile company, governor of Michigan, stake president, and U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, George Romney demonstrated a rare form of integrity and commitment to the public weal. However, it was as a private citizen that Romney most exemplified the philosophy that voluntarism is not an act of charity but an act of citizenship. Romney believed that we each have a moral responsibility to be involved in organized volunteer activities to improve the well-being of the community, the nation, and the world. His efforts in founding many of the organizations that today facilitate the link between volunteers and those in need is legendary. Romney is credited as the driving force and inspiration for the 1997 Presidents’ Summit for America’s Future, which brought together all past U.S. presidents (held following Romney’s death in 1995). This session will discuss Romney’s philosophy and work in this important dimension of civil society.