FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, October 30, 2003
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Corporation for National and Community Service
Contact: Sandy Scott
202-606-5000 ext. 255
sscott@cns.gov |
USA Freedom Corps Director Calls for Full Funding of President’s National Service Budget Request |
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(Washington D.C. ) -- USA Freedom Corps Director John Bridgeland called on
Congress to provide full funding for the President’s budget request for
AmeriCorps and other national service programs in an op-ed column in the
Baltimore Sun.
Let Volunteer Corps Help Out Even More
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By John Bridgeland
Originally published October 30, 2003
AS THE MASSIVE cleanup efforts from last month's Hurricane Isabel continue,
hundreds of Americans who were injured, lost their homes or were displaced are
receiving a helping hand from AmeriCorps members.
Last year, AmeriCorps, through the American Red Cross, assisted at least
246,000 people affected by disasters such as hurricanes, floods and wildfires.
They helped victims and their families, distributed food and clothing, and
recruited and managed volunteers.
It is all the more important that Congress provides the full funding
President Bush requested to grow AmeriCorps from 50,000 to 75,000 members.
Not only is AmeriCorps vital in the face of a devastating hurricane, but its
success is critical to addressing many urgent needs across America.
AmeriCorps participants receive small stipends and education awards to serve
full or part time in schools, police departments, conservation corps, Indian
tribes and community and faith-based organizations. They tutor and mentor
children, build affordable homes, teach computer skills, clean parks and streams
and run after-school programs.
The good work of AmeriCorps is one part of a much larger culture of service
that the president's USA Freedom Corps is helping to foster.
Senior Corps, a program that mobilizes 500,000 older Americans to mentor
children, care for other seniors and help meet critical community needs,
recruited an additional 25,000 volunteers, and is on track to support 600,000
seniors in regular community service.
More than 830 communities in 50 states and two territories have established
Citizen Corps Councils to coordinate volunteer efforts to prepare for
emergencies of all kinds, including terrorism. The number of Neighborhood Watch
programs is already close to doubling; programs placing volunteers in police
departments have increased sevenfold; a new Medical Reserve Corps is deploying
medical personnel to aid in emergencies in dozens of communities; and Community
Emergency Response Team training is available in 635 localities nationwide.
Hundreds of businesses with more than 4 million employees are making changes
in corporate practices to enlist their employees in service to communities. And
schools are connecting classroom lessons from American history with service
experiences in communities.
Abroad, more than 7,600 Peace Corps volunteers - up from 6,600 a year ago -
are serving in 71 countries. The Peace Corps remains on track to meet the
president's goal of doubling its number of volunteers over five years.
A new Volunteers for Prosperity initiative is enlisting American
professionals for flexible term assignments abroad to help prevent the spread of
HIV/AIDS, bring clean water to the poor and help open new markets.
Americans have found it easier to serve because they have more information
than ever. The USA Freedom Corps Volunteer Network - the most comprehensive
online volunteer clearinghouse ever created - connects Americans with more than
1 million service opportunities in their own neighborhoods and in countries
around the world through community - and in some cases federally supported -
organizations. Many volunteers are expressly serving now to honor the victims of
9/11.
Like these highly successful programs, AmeriCorps provides an avenue for tens
of thousands of Americans who want to serve. AmeriCorps members also recruit and
mobilize 10 times their number, enabling half a million volunteers to meet
important needs.
AmeriCorps was tested by overwhelming numbers of Americans who wanted to
serve.
Over-enrollments last year and subsequent cuts in funding resulted in fewer
new service posts this year for those willing to give a full year or more to
their country.
The Corporation for National and Community Service, which administers
AmeriCorps, is addressing long-standing tracking and management problems
aggressively. New management reforms and systems have been put in place so
AmeriCorps can better fulfill its mission.
The president is requesting $962 million for national service, including $433
million to help strengthen and expand AmeriCorps. This investment not only
enables 75,000 AmeriCorps members to serve, but also helps enlist hundreds of
thousands of additional volunteers in meaningful service.
As the funding process moves forward, let's hope Congress will fully support
the president's commitment to AmeriCorps and help make needed reforms to
strengthen and expand it.
Together, we can foster a culture of service and citizenship that can last
for decades to come.
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John Bridgeland is Assistant to the President and Director of the USA Freedom
Corps at the White House.
The Corporation for National and Community Service provides opportunities for
Americans of all ages and backgrounds to serve their communities and country
through three programs: Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America.
The Corporation and its programs are part of USA Freedom Corps, a White House
initiative to foster a culture of citizenship, service, and responsibility, and
to help all Americans answer the President's Call to Service. For more
information, visit
www.nationalservice.org.
President Bush created the USA Freedom Corps office at the White House 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. Interested volunteers can find opportunities in their own
neighborhoods through the USA Freedom Corps web site at
www.usafreedomcorps.gov or by
calling 1-877-USA-CORPS.
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