FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, January 29, 2004
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The White House - USA Freedom Corps
Erik Hotmire
202-456-7381 |
Fact Sheet - USA Freedom Corps Celebrates Two-Year Anniversary |
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In his State of the Union address on January 29, 2002, President George W.
Bush issued a national Call to Service – urging Americans to dedicate two years
-- or 4,000 hours -- over the course of their lifetimes to serving their
communities. He announced the creation of the USA Freedom Corps to help
Americans find volunteer opportunities in three areas of need: responding in
case of crisis at home; rebuilding our communities; and extending American
compassion throughout the world.
In the last two years, the USA Freedom Corps has mobilized more Americans to
engage in volunteer service, strengthened national service programs, supported
the teaching of American history and civics, and established new volunteer
initiatives to better serve important community needs.
Mobilizing More Americans to Serve
- The USA Freedom Corps has expanded access to volunteer opportunities
available across the country and around the world through the USA Freedom
Corps Volunteer Network – the largest and most comprehensive online
clearinghouse of volunteer opportunities ever established. The USA Freedom
Corps Volunteer Network now offers opportunities to work with more than 75,000
organizations, up from 60,000 organizations offered in 2002.
- The President’s Call to Service is producing results. According to the
Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 63 million Americans volunteered from
September 2002 to September 2003, up from 59.8 million during the prior 12
months. The percentage of the American population participating in volunteer
service during the same time period increased to 28.8 percent, up from 27.4
percent for the prior 12 months. On average, volunteers dedicated 52 hours in
service to others – more than one full week of work – and teenagers
demonstrated the greatest increase in volunteer service, up 2.6 percentage
points to 29.5 percent.
- In 2003, President Bush created the President’s Council on Service and
Civic Participation to inspire more Americans to answer his Call to Service by
making a difference in their communities. This past year, the President’s
Council announced the availability of the President’s Volunteer Service Award
– a presidential award program designed to recognize Americans who make a
sustained commitment to volunteer service throughout the year.
Strengthening National Service
Corporation for National & Community Service
- The USA Freedom Corps has worked with the Corporation for National and
Community Service (CNCS) to strengthen national service programs that will
enable and encourage more Americans to serve in their communities.
- In 2003, 533,000 Senior Corps volunteers – 33,000 more volunteers than
the year before – volunteered to help local organizations provide a wide
range of community services, such as tutoring and mentoring disadvantaged
youth, conducting neighborhood watch patrols, and providing assistance to
homebound seniors.
- AmeriCorps recently received a historic funding increase that meets the
President’s request to support a record 75,000 AmeriCorps volunteers helping
to meet education, public safety, and environmental needs.
- Through CNCS, more than $18 million has been distributed over the past
two years to support volunteer projects relating to public safety, public
health, and emergency preparedness and response, creating more opportunities
for volunteers to help with homeland security.
Citizen Corps
- President Bush created the Citizen Corps, an integral component of the USA
Freedom Corps, to engage Americans in volunteer activities that will make our
communities safer, stronger, and better prepared to respond to emergencies
while providing opportunities to serve in everyday healthcare and citizen
preparedness activities.
- Citizen Corps includes four Federal programs: Neighborhood Watch,
Volunteers In Police Service (VIPS), Medical Reserve Corps, and Community
Emergency Response Teams (CERT).
- Over the past two years, Neighborhood Watch has significantly increased
the number of communities served nationwide.
- VIPS has expanded from 76 police department programs in January 2002 to
740 registered programs today, representing more than 40,000 volunteers in
all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
- $10 million in Federal funds has been distributed to 167 communities to
strengthen Medical Reserve Corps units that offer retired and practicing
medical professionals the opportunity to lend their skills and expertise in
times of emergency as well as support important public health initiatives
throughout the year.
- CERT has grown from 100 communities in 27 states in January 2002 to more
than 900 communities in 51 states and territories today. CERT training
provides training in emergency preparedness and basic response techniques to
volunteers, enabling them to take a more active role in personal and public
safety.
- Since the President’s 2002 State of the Union address, nearly 1,000
communities, serving more than one-third of the U.S. population, have
established Citizen Corps Councils to coordinate and expand opportunities for
citizen volunteers to engage in homeland security efforts. The Department of
Homeland Security announced $35 million in Federal funds for FY 2004 to
provide necessary resources for State and local governments to support Citizen
Corps.
Peace Corps
- Currently, there are more than 7,500 Americans serving in the Peace Corps
in over 70 countries. This represents the largest number of Peace Corps
volunteers who have served overseas in the last 28 years.
- Over the past two years, the Peace Corps has opened or re-opened programs
in 14 countries, including Turkmenistan, Swaziland, Albania, Chad, and
Azerbaijan. In addition, the Peace Corps signed a historic agreement with
Mexico that will send Peace Corps volunteers to Mexico for the first time
beginning in 2004. Peace Corps volunteers in Mexico will work in the areas of
information technology, science, and small business development.
Meeting Community Needs
- In 2003, the USA Freedom Corps focused on specific areas of need where
volunteers have been making a difference and developed new opportunities for
government and private institutions to enhance these efforts for the benefit
of our communities.
- Focusing on youth achievement, President Bush announced $450 million in
Federal funds over three years to support schools, non-profit, community, and
faith-based organizations that will help match disadvantaged children with
caring adult mentors. Congress approved $100 million in Federal funds for 2004
that will support the development, expansion, and strengthening of exemplary
mentoring programs specifically targeted at disadvantaged middle school
students and 100,000 children of prisoners. The USA Freedom Corps web site
also includes valuable information and toolkits for volunteers and
organizations looking for ways to make a difference by mentoring a child,
teaching someone to read, or improving economic literacy among youth.
- In order to encourage citizen stewardship and offer Americans meaningful
opportunities to make a difference for our public lands, the Department of
Interior in coordination with the USA Freedom Corps revived Take Pride In
America, a national partnership that provides opportunities for volunteers to
help protect and preserve our parks, refuges, and recreation areas, as well as
cultural and historical sites.
Teaching American History and Civics
- The National Endowment for the Humanities, Department of Education,
Corporation for National and Community Service, and the USA Freedom Corps
hosted "We the People – A White House Forum on American History, Civics and
Service," to highlight the need to improve American history and civics
education, particularly through student service. This forum also featured the
first "Heroes of History" lecture, an annual event featuring an acclaimed
scholar telling the story of an American hero.
- More than 65 grants were awarded to schools, universities, and cultural
institutions through the National Endowment for the Humanities "We the People"
program to support teacher training and other programs that enhance the study
and understanding of American history and culture. Additional grants were also
awarded to support summer seminars and institutes for K-12 school teachers at
important historical sites around the country, such as presidential homes,
battlefields, and archaeological sites.
Expanding Volunteer Opportunities
- In order to harness the overwhelming interest among Americans in serving
abroad, President Bush created Volunteers for Prosperity – a new initiative
that provides volunteer opportunities for highly-skilled and trained
individuals to serve in flexible, short-term assignments with voluntary and
non-governmental organizations that work to support U.S. development
initiatives overseas. These volunteers will serve with more than 100
organizations to provide health care, information technology, financial
services, trade and investment, education, and agricultural development
services.
- Established to promote economic growth and enhance business
competitiveness in developing countries, the Digital Freedom Initiative has
placed volunteers with business knowledge and technology expertise with small
businesses and entrepreneurs in Senegal, Peru, and Indonesia. More countries
are expected to become a part of this new initiative in the near future.
- In partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense, the USA Freedom Corps
created "On the Homefront" to offer meaningful opportunities for individuals,
organizations, and businesses looking for ways to help military families
during times of deployment. Working with non-profit, veteran, and
community-serving organizations, the USA Freedom Corps provides opportunities
to help families of reservists, National Guard men and women, and active duty
military meet basic home and family needs, such as household repairs,
financial planning, and child care.
Find Out More
For more information about the USA Freedom Corps, visit
www.usafreedomcorps.gov or call
1-877-USA-CORPS.
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