Under Secretary designee for Emergency Preparedness and Response and FEMA Director Michael D. Brown today announced an official affiliation between The United States Junior Chamber (Jaycees) and President Bush's Citizen Corps initiative. At The U.S. Junior Chamber's Year-End Convention in Dallas, Texas, an affiliate partnership was signed between the Jaycees and Citizen Corps to work together to raise public awareness about emergency preparedness, first aid, disaster response training and volunteer service.

Together they will encourage communities to form local Citizen Corps Councils through local U.S. Junior Chamber chapter participation and assist these Councils with implementing the programs and practices associated with Citizen Corps. The U.S. Junior Chamber will also provide volunteer service opportunities that support first responders, disaster relief organizations, community safety efforts as well as coordinate these efforts through the Citizen Corps network of state and local councils.

"Everyone can do something to spread the word about emergency preparedness, first aid, and disaster response training. The affiliation between Citizen Corps and The U.S. Junior Chamber will help bring that message to the American people," Brown said. "I look forward to working with The U.S. Junior Chamber and to expanding Citizen Corps' network of affiliate organizations and programs to make our nation safer and better prepared than ever before."

The agreement adds The U.S. Junior Chamber as an affiliate to the four charter Citizen Corps programs: Neighborhood Watch, Volunteers in Police Service, Community Emergency Response Teams, and Medical Reserve Corps. The U.S. Junior Chamber joins National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and Save A Life Foundation as Citizen Corps affiliate programs.
Issuing a call to service for all Americans to embrace a spirit of volunteerism, President Bush announced the creation of USA Freedom Corps in his State of the Union address in January 2002. The President established Citizen Corps, a component of USA Freedom Corps, to provide people the opportunity to volunteer in a range of homeland security measures within their communities.

Citizen Corps' mission is to harness the power of individual citizens through education, training, and volunteer opportunities to make communities safer, stronger and better prepared for the threats of terrorism, crime, public health risks, and disasters of all kinds. FEMA coordinates these volunteer opportunities through Citizen Corps.

The mission of The U.S. Junior Chamber is to provide young people the opportunity to develop personal and leadership skills through local community action and organizational involvement while expanding the Junior Chamber movement. Through local chapters, the Jaycees have a long history of building and supporting communities across the nation, from playgrounds and parks to disaster relief. In today's environment, all Jaycees and their chapters are being "Called to Action" to help set-up America's homeland security efforts.

President Bush created the USA Freedom Corps office at the White House to foster an American culture of service, citizenship and responsibility. Through the USA Freedom Corps, President Bush wants to help every American answer the call to service by strengthening and expanding service opportunities to protect our homeland, support our communities and extend American compassion around the world. Interested volunteers can find information on the USA Freedom Corps at www.usafreedomcorps.gov or by calling 1-877-USA-Corps.