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President Bush is committed to strengthening and expanding volunteer
service in America.
In his January 2001 Inaugural address, President Bush challenged
Americans to be “citizens, not spectators.” Following the terrorist attacks
of September 11th, in his 2002 State of the Union Address, the President
called on every American to dedicate at least two years or 4,000 hours over
the course of his or her lifetime to volunteer service. He also created the
USA Freedom Corps within the White House and charged it with expanding
volunteer service opportunities across the country and around the world.
Americans have answered the President’s Call to Service in record numbers.
Answering the President’s Call to Service – By the
Numbers:
Increasing Volunteer Service
- Four million more Americans participated in volunteer service in FY
2003 than in FY 2002. The total number of volunteers in FY 2003 was 63.8
million.
Creating the USAFC Volunteer Network
- The Volunteer Network, created by USA Freedom Corps, is the largest
clearinghouse of volunteer opportunities ever created. Americans can
search the database by area of interest and geographic location. Since
2002, more than 870,000 volunteer opportunity searches have been completed
on the Volunteer Network.
Strengthening National Service Programs and Initiatives
- Later this year, AmeriCorps will reach the President’s goal of
supporting 75,000 members, a 50 percent increase over the year before.
Full-time members who complete 1,700 hours of volunteer service receive an
education award of $4,725. In 2003, the largest of the AmeriCorps programs
– the AmeriCorps*State and National program – generated over 500,000
unpaid community volunteers who averaged 8 hours of service, totaling
approximately 4 million volunteer hours.
- Senior Corps provides volunteer opportunities for Americans over age
55. Currently, there are more than 526,000 senior volunteers. In 2003,
Senior Corps members volunteered almost 120 million hours.
- Learn and Serve America seeks to engage America’s youth in service
learning, which incorporates volunteer service and civic education into
the classroom. In 2003, the program engaged more than 1.8 million students
in service learning, bettering the students’ lives, their schools, and
their communities through civic engagement and volunteer service.
- Take Pride in America, a volunteer program begun by President Ronald
Reagan and re-launched by Secretary Norton, has mobilized more than 80,000
volunteers and one hundred partners to improve our 800 million acres of
public lands. Volunteers build trails and bridges, plant trees and plants,
and remove invasive plants and trash.
Expanding International Volunteer Service
- Under President Bush, the number of Peace Corps volunteers serving for
two years in the field has grown to the highest level in 28 years. And,
since 2002, Peace Corps has opened or re-opened programs in 14 countries,
including Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Bangladesh.
- President Bush created Volunteers for Prosperity to provide flexible
international volunteer opportunities for America’s highly-skilled
professionals in such areas as fighting the HIV/AIDS pandemic and
providing safe drinking water for developing regions. Volunteer service in
this program can last a few weeks or a few years. To date, Volunteers for
Prosperity has recruited more than 140 U.S. companies and non-profit
organizations into the program; assisted in the development of a volunteer
pool exceeding 23,000 people; and supported the deployment of nearly 3,000
volunteers.
Strengthening Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness
President Bush launched Citizen Corps in January 2002. Citizen Corps is a
grassroots, locally-based effort that is designed to mobilize and train
volunteers to respond to acts of terrorism and other emergencies.
Council members learn how to prepare themselves, their family, and their
friends for an emergency by readying disaster supply kits and by
establishing family emergency communication and evacuation plans. They have
access to emergency preparedness and first aid training, including the
Community Emergency Response Team training program. Citizen Corps members
are also encouraged to volunteer with local law enforcement through such
programs as Volunteers in Police Service, Medical Reserve Corps,
Neighborhood Watch, and the newly created Fire Corps. By assisting local law
enforcement efforts, Council members help make their communities safer and
stay trained and alert.
- There are more than 1,300 local Citizen Corps Councils and 53
state/territory councils, serving communities totaling over 140 million
people (approximately 50% of the total US population). Citizen Corps
currently has five charter programs (CERT, VIPS, MRC, Neighborhood Watch,
and Fire Corps).
- Since January 2002, more than 52,000 people have each completed 20
hours of Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training, which equates
to more than one million hours.
- There are currently more than 68,000 volunteers in the Volunteers in
Police Service (VIPS) program and over 940 registered programs. Volunteers
have provided more than one million hours of service.
- Since its inception in 2002, Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) has grown to
more than 27,000 members. There are 166 communities with Federally-funded
Medical Reserve Corps units and another 45 that have been started with
private funding.
- There are now 10,153 Neighborhood Watch groups and 1,708 law
enforcement agencies registered on
www.usaonwatch.org.
- The Bush Administration announced Fire Corps in May 2004. Fire Corps
volunteers will aid fire departments in a variety of tasks to enhance
homeland security capabilities.
Recognizing Dedicated Volunteers
More than 80,000 Americans have received the President’s Volunteer
Service Award, recognizing their dedication to helping others through
service. The Award is an initiative of the President’s Council on Service
and Civic Participation, which was established by President Bush to
encourage and recognize volunteer service. Members of the Council include
entertainers, athletes, retired elected officials, business and media
leaders, leaders of nonprofit organizations, and community volunteers, all
with an interest in – and dedication to – volunteer service.
- President Bush has personally met with more than 300 volunteers during
his travels across America to thank them for their service to others.
Challenging Business to Strengthen America
- Almost 800 companies and organizations have affiliated with Business
Strengthening America to encourage volunteer activities in the private
sector.
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