The web site for Citizen Corps (www.citizencorps.gov) has expanded its focus and revised its look. The web site, which went live today, provides updated content in a more user-friendly format on preparedness, training, and partnerships. Each state and the local Citizen Corps councils are listed in a separate section with easily retrievable information on joining a local council. Smart practices and other innovations that are happening with state and local councils and the national Citizen Corps partners will also be posted. The new site makes it easier to navigate the other department and agency programs related to Citizen Corps, such as Neighborhood Watch, Volunteers in Police Service, and Medical Reserve Corps.

The revised web site is a major accomplishment as Citizen Corps celebrates its one-year anniversary. Citizen Corps has also shown its success by establishing more than 300 Citizen Corps Councils across the country. State Citizen Corps Councils have been formed in 31 states and 2 territories. Recently, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) distributed $21 million in grants to all 56 states and territories to expand the Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) and further establish Citizen Corps Councils across the country.

"Already more than 56,000 Americans have registered on the Citizen Corps web site to help do their part to make their community better prepared," said Michael Brown, Deputy Director of FEMA and Chairman of the National Citizen Corps Council. "We look forward to the opportunities this new web site will provide for those citizens and we invite others to visit the Citizen Corps web site to answer the President's Call to Service."

Citizen Corps' mission is to make communities safer, stronger, and better prepared to respond to threats of terrorism, crime, public health issues, and disasters of all kinds by engaging individuals in emergency preparedness and response through education, training, and volunteer service. President Bush established the Citizen Corps initiative, a component of the USA Freedom Corps, to provide individuals with opportunities to volunteer in a range of homeland security measures within their communities. The Citizen Corps initiative includes programs administered by the U.S. Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services, as well as FEMA, which is also responsible for coordinating Citizen Corps nationwide.

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