Earlier today, the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives kicked off the first in a series of Compassion in Action Roundtables that will be held over the next year.

Today’s session, which drew more than 100 people to the White House, dealt with youth violence. The two-hour program featured about a dozen speakers, including Robert Woodson, founder and president of the Center for Neighborhood Enterprise, and Michael Grebe, whose name is familiar to conservatives for his role as president and CEO of the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation.

The Compassion in Action Roundtables are the work of Jay Hein, deputy assistant to the President and director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. Yesterday, Hein reached out to bloggers, sharing the goals of the program and the work his office has already accomplished. (Tom Bevan of Real Clear Politics joined me on the call.)

During President Bush’s first term, the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives came under repeated attack from the liberal press. But aside from David Kuo’s “Tempting Faith” last fall — an election-year ploy that embarrassed Kuo more than Bush — the office has escaped criticism.

That could be because the office’s work is transcending partisanship. Hein spoke proudly of the 33 governors who had created offices in their states. The one person he singled out: Gov. Janet Napolitano of Arizona. As president of the National Governors Association, Napolitano has the opportunity to convince her counterparts of the good deeds associated with faith-based and community initiatives.

As Hein continues the education process, he’s also excited about the Compassion in Action Roundtables. In February, Hein will welcome to the White House those involved with fighting malaria in Africa. A March roundtable will focus on the Ready4Work prisoner re-entry initiative. More events will be announced soon.

In the meantime, Hein and his team at the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives plan to continue doing what they enjoy most: making a difference in the lives of Americans. Whether that means changing an agency rule or rolling up their sleeves to get to work, it’s pretty clear they’re having an impact.