FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, December 02, 2003
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The White House - USA Freedom Corps
Contact: Erik Hotmire
202-456-7381 |
USA Freedom Corps Director Discusses Overwhelming Response to President's Call to Service |
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“Building a Culture of Service,” an opinion editorial written by Assistant to
the President and director of USA Freedom Corps, John M. Bridgeland, was
recently published in the Washington Times. It reviews and highlights the
overwhelming response to the President's call to service and how USA Freedom
Corps has worked to strengthen and expand opportunities in order to engage more
Americans to serve.
Building a Culture of Service
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By John Bridgeland
Originally published October 30, 2003
In the aftermath of September 11, President Bush sought to foster a culture
of service, citizenship and responsibility. In his 2002 State of the Union, he
asked every American to give at least two years of their lives in service to
others. He created the USA Freedom Corps, an ambitious service effort that
coordinates more than $1 billion in new and existing domestic and international
service initiatives and connects millions of Americans to service opportunities
in communities, schools and workplaces. No one knew how Americans would respond.
The existing landscape looked bleak. In "Bowling Alone," Robert Putnam
catalogued a 30-year decline in volunteer service and civic participation,
showing major reductions in volunteers for organizations, such as the Red Cross
and the Boy Scouts. Experts agreed that rapid progress in volunteer mobilization
was rare. Would September 11 be the unique moment in history that would lead
more Americans to serve others?
Looking at how Americans are responding, there are strong signs of hope.
Within two years of the president's call to service, the new Citizen Corps is
mobilizing Americans nationwide to prepare for emergencies, including terrorist
attacks. More than 900 local communities have formed Citizen Corps Councils in
all states and the nation's capital and territories. Doctors and nurses in 170
communities are now part of a new Medical Reserve Corps. Neighborhood Watch
programs have nearly doubled; programs providing volunteers to police
departments have increased 900 percent; and Community Emergency Response Team
training has expanded from 170 communities in 28 states to 635 communities in 51
states and territories. Citizen Corps volunteers have responded to wildfires in
California, Hurricane Isabel in the East, and tornadoes and floods in the
Midwest.
Existing programs that the president targeted to expand are experiencing a
similar response. Senior Corps, a program that attracts half a million older
Americans to care for other seniors and tutor children, recruited an additional
33,000 volunteers last year and will recruit another 67,000 this year. Take
Pride in America is enlisting 200,000 volunteers to improve our public lands.
The response to AmeriCorps was so strongitoverwhelmeda decade-old system. Strong
financial and management controls are being implemented to ensure
accountability, as the administration and Congress work to expand AmeriCorps
from 50,000 to 75,000 members.
The swelling response was not confined to domestic programs. Since January
2002, Peace Corps has received more than 200,000 inquiries for its 7,533 slots.
While Peace Corps is working to double its volunteers over five years, other
opportunities for service are needed. The president created Volunteers for
Prosperity to deploy tens of thousands of American professionals on short-term
assignments to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS, provide clean water for the poor and
open new markets for entrepreneurs in developing countries.
Nor has the robust response been limited to federally supported service
programs. More than 700 CEOs of companies with 5 million employees have
responded by forming Business Strengthening America. These leaders are fostering
changes that are real and long-term -- providing administrative leave and
transportation for thousands of employees to read to children in public schools,
and matching employee contributions to nonprofits where employees volunteer.
In just two months, more than 1,000 organizations registered to certify their
volunteers for the new President's Volunteer Service Award. This recognition
honors adults who volunteer 100 hours, or anyone 14 or younger who serves 50
hours in one year. The Greatest Generation's Bob Dole and John Glenn stepped
forward to lead the new President's Council on Service with Darrell Green.
Presidential recognition can connect every American to the culture of service
every year.
Millions of Americans are finding it easier to serve by accessing the USA
Freedom Corps Volunteer Network -- the most comprehensive online clearinghouse
connecting citizens with service opportunities close to home or around the
world.
For the first time, our country has an annual "civic index," a Census Bureau
survey showing that more than 59 million Americans volunteered regularly through
a school, house of worship, or other organization in the year following that
tragic day in September.
The response to the president's call to service has been enthusiastic and
strong for every program and category we measure. Americans are signing up in
droves to become an even greater nation of joiners and givers. It is this
selfless service to others, where citizens step forward to solve our toughest
problems, that makes us unique in the world and connects us to what it really
means to be an American.
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John Bridgeland is Assistant to the President and Director of the USA Freedom
Corps at the White House.
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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