For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
January 29, 2004
Fact Sheet: USA Freedom Corps Celebrates Two-Year Anniversary
In his State of the Union address on January 29, 2002, President
George W. Bush issued a national Call to Service -- urging Americans
to dedicate two years -- or 4,000 hours -- over the course of their
lifetimes to serving their communities. He announced the creation of
the USA Freedom Corps to help Americans find volunteer opportunities in
three areas of need: responding in case of crisis at home; rebuilding
our communities; and extending American compassion throughout the
world.
In the last two years, the USA Freedom Corps has mobilized more
Americans to engage in volunteer service, strengthened national service
programs, supported the teaching of American history and civics, and
established new volunteer initiatives to better serve important
community needs.
MOBILIZING MORE AMERICANS TO SERVE
The USA Freedom Corps has expanded access to volunteer
opportunities available across the country and around the world
through the USA Freedom Corps Volunteer Network -- the largest and
most comprehensive online clearinghouse of volunteer opportunities
ever established. The USA Freedom Corps Volunteer Network now
offers
opportunities to work with more than 75,000 organizations, up from
60,000 organizations offered in 2002.
The President's Call to Service is producing results. According
to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 63 million Americans
volunteered from September 2002 to September 2003, up from 59.8
million during the prior 12 months. The percentage of the American
population participating in volunteer service during the same time
period increased to 28.8 percent, up from 27.4 percent for the
prior 12 months. On average, volunteers dedicated 52 hours in service to
others -- more than one full week of work -- and teenagers
demonstrated the greatest increase in volunteer service, up 2.6 percentage
points
to 29.5 percent.
In 2003, President Bush created the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation to inspire more Americans to answer
his Call to Service by making a difference in their communities.
This past year, the President's Council announced the availability
of the President's Volunteer Service Award -- a presidential award
program designed to recognize Americans who make a sustained
commitment to volunteer service throughout the year.
STRENGTHENING NATIONAL SERVICE
The USA Freedom Corps has worked with the Corporation for
National and Community Service (CNCS) to strengthen national
service
programs that will enable and encourage more Americans to serve in
their communities.
In 2003, 533,000 Senior Corps volunteers -- 33,000 more
volunteers than the year before -- volunteered to help local
organizations provide a wide range of community services, such
as tutoring and mentoring disadvantaged youth, conducting
neighborhood watch patrols, and providing assistance to
homebound seniors.
AmeriCorps recently received a historic funding increase
that meets the President's request to support a record 75,000 AmeriCorps volunteers helping to meet education, public safety,
and environmental needs.
Through CNCS, more than $18 million has been distributed
over the past two years to support volunteer projects relating
to public safety, public health, and emergency preparedness and
response, creating more opportunities for volunteers to help
with homeland security.
Citizen Corps
President Bush created the Citizen Corps, an integral component
of the USA Freedom Corps, to engage Americans in volunteer
activities that will make our communities safer, stronger, and better prepared to respond to emergencies while providing opportunities to serve in everyday healthcare and citizen preparedness activities.
Citizen Corps includes four Federal programs: Neighborhood Watch,
Volunteers In Police Service (VIPS), Medical Reserve Corps, and
Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT).
Over the past two years, Neighborhood Watch has
significantly increased the number of communities served
nationwide.
VIPS has expanded from 76 police department programs in
January 2002 to 740 registered programs today, representing
more than 40,000 volunteers in all 50 states, the District of
Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
$10 million in Federal funds has been distributed to 167
communities to strengthen Medical Reserve Corps units that
offer retired and practicing medical professionals the
opportunity to lend their skills and expertise in times of
emergency as well as support important public health
initiatives throughout the year.
CERT has grown from 100 communities in 27 states in
January 2002 to more than 900 communities in 51 states and
territories today. CERT training provides training in
emergency preparedness and basic response techniques to
volunteers, enabling them to take a more active role in
personal and public safety.
Since the President's 2002 State of the Union address, nearly
1,000 communities, serving more than one-third of the U.S.
population, have established Citizen Corps Councils to coordinate
and
expand opportunities for citizen volunteers to engage in homeland
security efforts. The Department of Homeland Security announced
$35
million in Federal funds for FY 2004 to provide necessary resources
for State and local governments to support Citizen Corps.
Peace Corps
Currently, there are more than 7,500 Americans serving in the
Peace Corps in over 70 countries. This represents the largest
number of Peace Corps volunteers who have served overseas in the last 28
years.
Over the past two years, the Peace Corps has opened or re-opened
programs in 14 countries, including Turkmenistan, Swaziland,
Albania,
Chad, and Azerbaijan. In addition, the Peace Corps signed a
historic
agreement with Mexico that will send Peace Corps volunteers to
Mexico
for the first time beginning in 2004. Peace Corps volunteers in
Mexico will work in the areas of information technology, science,
and
small business development.
MEETING COMMUNITY NEEDS
In 2003, the USA Freedom Corps focused on specific areas of need
where volunteers have been making a difference and developed new
opportunities for government and private institutions to enhance
these efforts for the benefit of our communities.
Focusing on youth achievement, President Bush announced $450
million in Federal funds over three years to support schools,
non-profit, community, and faith-based organizations that will help
match disadvantaged children with caring adult mentors. Congress
approved $100 million in Federal funds for 2004 that will support
the
development, expansion, and strengthening of exemplary mentoring
programs specifically targeted at disadvantaged middle school
students and 100,000 children of prisoners. The USA Freedom Corps
web site also includes valuable information and toolkits for
volunteers and organizations looking for ways to make a difference
by
mentoring a child, teaching someone to read, or improving economic
literacy among youth.
In order to encourage citizen stewardship and offer Americans
meaningful opportunities to make a difference for our public lands
the Department of Interior in coordination with the USA Freedom
Corps
revived Take Pride In America, a national partnership that provides
opportunities for volunteers to help protect and preserve our
parks,
refuges, and recreation areas, as well as cultural and historical
sites.
TEACHING AMERICAN HISTORY AND CIVICS
The National Endowment for the Humanities, Department of
Education, Corporation for National and Community Service, and the
USA Freedom Corps hosted "We the People -- A White House Forum on
American History, Civics and Service," to highlight the need to
improve American history and civics education, particularly through
student service. This forum also featured the first "Heroes of
History" lecture, an annual event featuring an acclaimed scholar
telling the story of an American hero.
More than 65 grants were awarded to schools, universities, and
cultural institutions through the National Endowment for the
Humanities "We the People" program to support teacher training and
other programs that enhance the study and understanding of American
history and culture. Additional grants were also awarded to
support
summer seminars and institutes for K-12 school teachers at
important
historical sites around the country, such as presidential homes,
battlefields, and archaeological sites.
EXPANDING VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
In order to harness the overwhelming interest among Americans in
serving abroad, President Bush created Volunteers for Prosperity --
a
new initiative that provides volunteer opportunities for
highly-skilled and trained individuals to serve in flexible,
short-term assignments with voluntary and non-governmental
organizations that work to support U.S. development initiatives
overseas. These volunteers will serve with more than 100
organizations to provide health care, information technology,
financial services, trade and investment, education, and
agricultural
development services.
Established to promote economic growth and enhance business
competitiveness in developing countries, the Digital Freedom
Initiative has placed volunteers with business knowledge and
technology expertise with small businesses and entrepreneurs in
Senegal, Peru, and Indonesia. More countries are expected to
become
a part of this new initiative in the near future.
In partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense, the USA
Freedom Corps created "On the Homefront" to offer meaningful
opportunities for individuals, organizations, and businesses
looking
for ways to help military families during times of deployment.
Working with non-profit, veteran, and community-serving
organizations, the USA Freedom Corps provides opportunities to help
families of reservists, National Guard men and women, and active
duty
military meet basic home and family needs, such as household
repairs,
financial planning, and child care.
FIND OUT MORE For more information about the USA Freedom Corps,
visit www.usafreedomcorps.gov or call 1-877-USA-CORPS.
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