Release Number: HQ-08-199

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In a signing ceremony, the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced a new partnership between the Citizen Corps Program and MyGoodDeed.org to help promote volunteer service and encourage citizens to participate in disaster preparedness and response and recovery. The two organizations will also work together to help promote 9/11 as a day of charitable service.

The Statement of Affiliation was co-signed in Washington D.C. on Sept. 9 by FEMA's National Preparedness Directorate's Community Preparedness Division Director Brock D. Bierman and co-founders of MyGoodDeed.org David Paine and Jay Winuk.

Citizen Corps is FEMA's nationwide grass-roots effort which encourages community and government leaders to come together to involve community members and organizations in all-hazards emergency preparedness, planning, mitigation, response, and recovery.

The mission of MyGoodDeed.org is to transform 9/11 into an annually recognized national day of voluntary service, connecting people with common social interests through its Web site to encourage community service on 9/11 and throughout the entire year. Created by families and friends shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, MyGoodDeed.org seeks to honor the thousands who were killed and injured and to pay tribute to the many people who aided in the rescue and recovery efforts

More than 2,300 Citizen Corps Councils, sponsored by local government, bring all sectors of the community together with local government and first responders to help develop plans for preparedness using all community resources to respond to disasters. Currently, Citizen Corps has agreements with 26 National Affiliates that offer resources for public education, outreach, and training; represent volunteers interested in helping to make their communities safer; or offer volunteer service opportunities to support first responders, disaster relief activities, and community safety efforts.

For more information about Citizen Corps, please visit http://www.citizencorps.gov. For information about FEMA programs, go to http://www.fema.gov.

FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.

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