Citizen Corps Celebrates Successes At One-Year Anniversary
56,000 Americans signed up to volunteer through Presidential initiative
Release Date: January 30, 2003
Release Number: HQ-03-025
» Citizen Corps Launches Revised Website
Washington, DC -- As Citizen Corps celebrates its one-year anniversary, there are many successes to applaud about this presidential initiative that was launched last January during President George W. Bush's State of the Union Address as part of the USA Freedom Corps and the President's Call to Service. Some of Citizen Corps highlights include:
- State Citizen Corps Councils
formed in 31 States and 2 Territories, with all 56 states and
territories expected to have State Councils by the end of February 2003.
- 304 local Citizen Corps Councils
formed in 43 states and territories serving 19%
of the United States population.
- Over 56,000 individuals
registered on the Citizen Corps website to receive ongoing information
about the Citizen Corps initiative and its programs; 20 electronic newsletters
distributed.
- Launch of revised website: www.citizencorps.gov
- $21 million in grants from FEMA
distributed to all 56 States and Territories in December 2002,
with 75% of this amount expected to be passed down to local communities
by April 2003.
- Citizen Corps: A Guide for
Local Officials published in April 2002, over 6,000 copies distributed
to date and also available on the Citizen Corps website.
- National Citizen Corps Council
formed, comprised of leaders from 43 organizations representing first
responder groups, emergency management, volunteer organizations, government,
and the private sector to advance the mission of Citizen Corps and to
promote the formation of Citizen Corps Councils across the country.
- Citizen Corps Affiliate Program
initiated to expand the resources and materials available to states
and local communities under the Citizen Corps umbrella. The National
Fire Protection Association and Save A Life
Foundation signed as affiliates to date.
- Are You Ready? A Guide to Citizen Preparedness distributed to stakeholders, Citizen Corps Councils, and posted on the web.
"Citizen Corps is a critical component of our work to prepare the homeland by getting citizens prepared, trained and involved," said Michael Brown, Deputy Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Chairman of the National Citizen Corps Council. "President Bush's vision has helped 56,000 Americans get involved in community preparedness and that is a remarkable accomplishment. I applaud USA Freedom Corps for their many achievements, especially with Citizen Corps, as they also celebrate their one-year anniversary."
Citizen Corps' mission is to make communities safer, stronger, and better prepared to respond to threats of terrorism, crime, public health issues, and disasters of all kinds by engaging individuals in emergency preparedness and response through education, training, and volunteer service. President Bush established the Citizen Corps initiative, a component of the USA Freedom Corps, to provide individuals with opportunities to volunteer in a range of homeland security measures within their communities. The Citizen Corps initiative includes programs administered by the U.S. Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services, as well as FEMA, which is also responsible for coordinating Citizen Corps nationwide.
Last Modified: Wednesday, 28-May-2003 12:19:20