Baltimore, MD - Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response, today announced an official affiliation between the Points of Light Foundation (POLF) and the Volunteer Center National Network and President Bush's Citizen Corps initiative. The affiliate partnership agreement was signed at the National Conference on Community Volunteering and National Service in Baltimore, Md., to raise awareness about emergency preparedness, first aid and disaster response training, and volunteer service activities through the Volunteer Center National Network and the national, state, and local Citizen Corps Councils.

"The resources and expertise of the Points of Light Foundation and the Volunteer Center National Network will be invaluable as we continue to encourage all Americas to volunteer to support local first responders and other community safety initiatives through Citizen Corps," Brown said. "We look forward to working with the Points of Light Foundation to expand the role citizens play within their community to make our nation safer and better prepared than ever before."

The agreement adds the POLF as an affiliate to the four charter Citizen Corps programs: Neighborhood Watch, Volunteers in Police Service, Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT), and Medical Reserve Corps. The POLF joins National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, National Volunteer Fire Council, National Fire Protection Association, Save A Life Foundation, and The U.S. Junior Chamber as Citizen Corps affiliate programs.

Under the direction of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, Citizen Corps is a community-based initiative to engage all citizens in homeland security and community and family preparedness through public education and outreach, training opportunities, and volunteer programs. Programs under the Citizen Corps umbrella include federally sponsored programs and other activities that share the goal of helping communities prevent, prepare for, and respond to all-hazards. Citizen Corps encourages all Americans to take an active role in building safer, stronger, and better-prepared communities.

The Points of Light Foundation and the Volunteer Center National Network seeks to engage more people more effectively in volunteer service to help solve serious social problems through a partnership with the Volunteer Center National Network. With 450 active Volunteer Centers, this network reaches millions of people in thousands of communities to help recruit, train, deploy, and monitor volunteers to deliver solutions that address community problems. Through a variety of programs and services, the Foundation encourages people from all walks of life - businesses, government agencies, nonprofits, faith-based organizations, low-income communities, families, youth, and older adults - to volunteer.

For more information on Citizen Corps and Citizen Corps Councils around the country, visit www.citizencorps.gov.

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