FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, March 04, 2002
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The White House - Office of the Press Secretary
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USA Freedom Corps Makes Great Strides in First Month |
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Launched during the President's State of the Union address, the USA Freedom
Corps is working to encourage all Americans to respond to President George
Bush's call to service and to offer them expanded service opportunities through
community-based organizations like the Citizen Corps; the AmeriCorps; Senior
Corps and Learn and Serve America programs at the Corporation for National and
Community Service; and the Peace Corps.
USA Freedom Corps
Since President Bush issued his call for all Americans to dedicate at least
two years of their lives—the equivalent of 4,000 hours—of service to their
communities, our country and the world, men and women of all ages and from all
over the country have responded by contacting the USA Freedom Corps.
The new USA Freedom Corps web site
www.usafreedomcorps.gov has
been visited more than 6 million times, as potential volunteers look for
information on the new initiative and the existing and new service programs
being coordinated by the USA Freedom Corps office at the White House.
Building Citizen Corps
Most of the new service opportunities fall within the new Citizen Corps and
share the common goal of helping communities prepare for and prevent crises and
strengthen our homeland security.
Composed of existing and new programs under the direction of the Federal
Emergency Management Agency, the Department of Health and Human Services and the
Department of Justice, Citizen Corps offers potential volunteers the opportunity
to provide medical, emergency response and emergency planning services to their
communities.
The Citizen Corps web site has been visited more than 1.2 million times since
the State of the Union, and more than 18,719 volunteers have signed up to
participate in Citizen Corps programs.
Strengthening the Peace Corps
When he launched the USA Freedom Corps initiative President Bush announced
that through that initiative he wants strengthen the Peace Corps and double the
number volunteers and expand the number of countries served by Peace Corps
volunteers over the next five years.
More than 181,123 people have visited the Peace Corps web site since January
29?a more than 86 percent increase in web activity over last February.
Since January 29, more than 14,614 people have ordered applications - a 56
percent increase in applicant interest over last February.
Milestones for the Peace Corps
March 1 was the 41st anniversary of the founding of the Peace Corps and Peace
Corps Day. This year, to mark Peace Corps Day, more than 5,000 Peace Corps
volunteers around the country are visiting with K-12 students to talk about the
Peace Corps and their volunteer experiences as part of an ongoing education
outreach effort.
Important progress is being made at the Peace Corps in meeting President
Bush's goals. An assessment team from the Peace Corps is leaving for Afghanistan
and Pakistan under appropriate safety conditions to evaluate how Peace Corps
volunteers can assist those countries.
The Peace Corps assessment team will return within two weeks with
recommendations regarding opportunities for Crisis Corps volunteers to help in
the rebuilding of Afghanistan and the possibility of sending Peace Corps
volunteers to Pakistan for the first time since 1991.
Reforming and Enhancing CNCS Programs
President Bush has made reforming and enhancing the AmeriCorps, Senior Corps
and Learn and Serve America programs part of the USA Freedom Corps initiative,
and interest in these domestic service programs at the Corporation for National
and Community Service is also up and continues to be strong.
Since January 29 applications to the AmeriCorps program are up almost 50
percent, and traffic on the AmeriCorps web site is up 95 percent, with more than
4 million hits.
Interest in Senior Corps programs is also up. Visits to the Senior Corps web
site have increased by 527 percent since January 29, and calls to the toll free
number for the programs are up by 179 percent.
More Information
For information about any of the USA Freedom Corps programs and services,
prospective volunteers can visit the USA Freedom Corps web site at
www.usafreedomcorps.gov or
call the USA Freedom Corps toll free number at 1-877-USA-Corps.
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