For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 4, 2002
USA Freedom Corps Makes Great Strides in First Month
Fact Sheet Read the USA Freedom Corps book
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 - 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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