Nancy Brinker United States Ambassador


Year to Rekindle National Spirit


W


e are entering a year unlike any other, one that invites us to pause, reflect, and


recommit ourselves to the ideals that shaped the United States. Two hundred and fifty years


ago, a band of determined colonists declared that people, not monarchs, would chart the course of their own future. Their courage launched an experiment that has endured through war and peace, prosperity and hardship, division and renewal. “America 250” is more than an anniversary. It is a call to action. And it arrives at a moment when our country needs it. For years, we’ve watched the


seams of our social fabric strain under the weight of cynicism, polarization, and the feeling, shared across political and cultural lines, that we have drifted away from each other. Too often, our public square feels


like a battleground rather than a meeting place. Too often, we sort ourselves


into camps, treating disagreement as a threat rather than a feature of democracy. Too often, we forget that citizenship is not just a status,


but a responsibility. But anniversaries offer a chance


to reset. This year gives us an extraordinary opportunity to return to first principles, not in a nostalgic way, but in a practical one. The founders did not


agree on everything. In truth, they disagreed on most things. Yet they shared a belief that a nation built on liberty, equality, and shared purpose was worth the struggle. They debated fiercely, compromised imperfectly, and still managed to write a document that continues to guide the world’s oldest continuous democracy. If they could model civility in the


midst of revolution, we can model it in our neighborhoods. Civility is not weakness. It is not surrender. It is a posture of respect, a recognition that every person we encounter carries a story we do not fully know. We cannot rebuild trust at a


national level if we refuse to practice it at a local one. And the truth is, the only place trust has ever really taken root is close to home. That is why this anniversary year


should be a year of service. A year of showing up. A year of leaning into the civic spirit that has sustained our nation for a quarter millennium. Volunteer at a school. Donate to


a food pantry. Support a veterans’ group. Mentor a student. Lend your expertise to a nonprofit that needs it. Visit with a neighbor who lives alone. Join a local board. Help clean up a park. Read to children at your library. There is no wrong door into service, and no effort is too small to matter. I have spent much of my


life building organizations that rely on the generosity of volunteers and philanthropists. From that vantage


point, I can tell you this: Transformational


change does not usually come from Washington, or from a cable news studio, or from a courtroom. It comes from ordinary people


deciding to invest time and compassion in the lives around them. It comes from community. As we approach July 4, 2026, the


250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, let us honor that founding promise not with words alone, but with action. Let us prove that the American


spirit is not something to be admired in history books, but something to be lived every day. Let us replace suspicion with


curiosity, division with dialogue, and apathy with engagement. The founders declared independence. This year, we can declare interdependence: the simple, timeless truth that we are at our best when we are connected, committed, and contributing to one another.


Nancy Brinker, founder of The Promise Fund of Florida and Susan G. Komen, served as U.S. ambassador to Hungary.


JANUARY 2026 | NEWSMAX 57


SEPIA TIMES/GETTY IMAGES


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