Describes strategies to build and support coalitions for services in an era of diminished public and private resources. It becomes necessary to redefine the client, the community, and the agency or organization to develop appropriate roles for each component in the current social and economic climate. (SLD)

The author's experiences in community service at a Quaker summer work camp 30 years ago taught him more about himself than about the community in which he helped. National service needs to include an organizing orientation that allows the strengths of both participants and community members to flourish. (SLD)