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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, October 02, 2003

Corporation for National and Community Service
CONTACT: Sandy Scott
202/606-5000, x 255
sscott@cns.gov

President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation Discusses Plans to Encourage Volunteer Service Across America

(Washington D.C.) -- After a White House swearing-in ceremony Monday, members of the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation immediately got to work discussing strategies to encourage more Americans to become involved in their communities and nation.

The Council, which is chaired by former Washington Redskins football player Darrell Green and co-chaired by former Senators Robert Dole and John Glenn, is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service and is part of President Bush’s USA Freedom Corps. White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card welcomed Council members to the White House and explained the importance of their work in helping to foster a culture of citizenship, service, and responsibility in America.

In its structure, the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation is patterned after the successful President’s Council on Physical Fitness. Its mission, however, is to encourage “civic fitness” among all Americans. The Council will promote and recognize outstanding volunteer service and raise awareness of the many ways in which Americans can continue to help to meet the vital needs of their communities through civic engagement and service.

“President Bush has asked all Americans to devote the equivalent of at least two years of their lives to helping others,” said John Bridgeland, Director of USA Freedom Corps. “By serving on the Council, these leaders will help amplify the President’s call to service and make our communities and country stronger as a result.”

The Council brings together leaders from the worlds of business, entertainment, sports, education, government, nonprofits, and the media. Its 24 members include actors Sean Astin and Dixie Carter; sports figures Cal Ripken, Jr. and Steve Young; political commentator Cokie Roberts; Ohio First Lady Hope Taft; “Bowling Alone” author Robert Putnam and CEOs Richard Parsons of Time Warner and Robert Nardelli of The Home Depot. A complete list of members is available at www.usafreedomcorps.gov.

“I truly am impressed by the breadth of talent and experience that President Bush has assembled for this important effort,” said Barbara Taylor, Executive Director of the Council. “These people are role models for millions of Americans and their participation will help usher in a new era of service and citizenship for our nation.”

One of the first priorities of the new Council was creating the President’s Volunteer Service Award, which recognizes individuals, families, and groups who have made a sustained commitment to volunteer service and civic engagement over a 12-month period. Awards are given to youth ages 14 and under who have completed 50 or more hours of volunteer service; to individuals 15 and older who have completed 100 or more hours; and to families or groups who have completed 200 or more hours. Lifetime achievement is recognized with a special President’s Call to Service Award, which honors those who have provided more than 4,000 hours of service over the course of their lifetime. Administered by the Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network, the awards have already drawn inquiries from more than 700 organizations interested in becoming certifying organizations for distributing the awards. Information about the Council and the Awards program is available at www.presidentialserviceawards.gov.

The President’s Council is housed at the Corporation for National and Community Service, which engages Americans of all ages and backgrounds in improving communities through service in Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America. The Corporation and its programs are part of the USA Freedom Corps, a coordinating council and office at the White House helping to foster a culture of service, citizenship and responsibility. Through the USA Freedom Corps, President Bush wants to help every American answer the call to volunteer service by strengthening and expanding service opportunities to protect our homeland, support our communities and extend American compassion around the world. For more information, visit www.nationalservice.org.

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