News & Events
E-News
Vol. I, Issue 6 (June 21, 2002)
We are well on the way to creating what President George W. Bush refers to as "the gathering momentum of millions of acts of kindness and decency," through which we will build a culture of service. Evidence that Americans are answering his call to service is found in the numbers: from the Citizen Corps Website alone, more than 36,000 people have signed on as volunteers, 69 communities have registered their Citizen Corps Councils, and the business community is joining together to find ways to increase volunteer participation by corporations, employees and consumers.
In This Issue:
- News You Can Use: Orlando, FL, Convenes Citizen Corps Council Meeting; Businesses Working to Expand Volunteerism; President Creates USA Freedom Corps Network
- What's Happening at: Department of Justice, Department of Health and Human Services, Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Orlando, FL, "Clicks into Crime Prevention"
Orlando Mayor Glenda Hood used the occasion of the first meeting of the Orlando Citizen Corps Council to kick off a "Crime Alert Program." This adds to emergency and crime prevention programs already in place in the city -- Citizens for Neighborhood Watch and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), the first CERT program established in the State of Florida.
The newest program, "Crime Alert Program," allows citizens and businesses to access the city's police department on the Web and enter their e-mail addresses. Subscribers will receive information on how to reduce risk, among other helpful categories of information, on a regular basis.
FEMA Director Joe M. Allbaugh pledged that FEMA will be an active partner with Mayor Hood and the City of Orlando in making Orlando's Citizen Corps Council a success.
Businesses Working to Expand Volunteerism
A group of 18 corporate leaders representing a variety of industries came together at the White House on June 13 to create Businesses Strengthening America, a self-directed long-term effort to engage hundreds of business leaders in helping increase volunteer participation.
Each of the corporations at the meeting is already making or building upon a commitment to volunteer service. Highlights of such commitments include paid time off for employee volunteer service, sponsorship of volunteer projects that draw upon the skills of employees and efforts to enlist consumers in service activities.
To cite only a few of the operations underway:
- Eli Lilly and Company is launching a program to encourage its 20,000 U.S. employees and more than 8,500 retirees to pursue volunteer opportunities with the new Medical Reserve Corps, if they are qualified to do so.
- Marriott Corporation, Inc. announced an innovative partnership with the Senior Corps program to encourage and assist the 22,000 residents of Marriott Senior Living Services facilities to find volunteer opportunities through the Senior Corps RSVP program.
- K-VA-T Food Stores, through the National Grocers Association, will inform and educate supermarket shoppers about local volunteer programs and services by putting volunteer clearinghouse website and toll-free phone number information on grocery bags, in bag stuffers and on point-of-sale signs. With their suppliers, members of the National Grocers Association will also make emergency preparedness information and products available to their shoppers.
President Creates USA Freedom Corps Network
Speaking at the graduation ceremony at Ohio State University on June 14, President George W. Bush announced the creation of the "USA Freedom Corps Network," a partnership of the broadest group of service organizations ever assembled. The USA Freedom Corps Network brings together America's Promise, the Points of Light Foundation, The United Way, Volunteer Match, ServeNet and many other organizations to form a comprehensive clearinghouse of volunteer opportunities. This network will enable Americans to find volunteer opportunities within their neighborhoods and communities and in countries around the globe.
In making the announcement, the President said, "One of the main reasons people give for not volunteering is that no one has asked them to do so. Another reason is they don't know where to start. Well, today I'm asking each of you to serve your country -- and, through the USA Freedom Corps Network, you've got a place to start." When the Network is posted on the Web, we will report on it in a future issue of this newsletter.
Department of Justice (DOJ)
The National Sheriff's Association (NSA), in conjunction with the Department of Justice and Citizen Corps, is asking law enforcement agencies and citizen organizations to "Meet the Challenge" by doubling the number of Neighborhood Watch groups. "Meet the Challenge" was launched in early June on the NSA Website, www.USAonwatch.org. On that site, citizens and law enforcement agencies can record online each new Neighborhood Watch group they are involved in starting or are working to revitalize. To register your Neighborhood Watch group: log onto www.USAonwatch.org and click on "Meet the Challenge." Click on "Start/Revitalize a Watch" to record your new groups, or click on "Download Watch Materials" to get a copy of NSA's Neighborhood Watch implementation manual, as well as other crime prevention materials.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
The Office of the Surgeon General (OSG) at the Department of Health and Human Services will soon unveil a package of program activities designed to promote development of Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) units at the community level. A small-grant program, under which a Citizen Corps Council or nonprofit legal entity acting on behalf of the Council, could obtain funds to set up a community-based MRC unit will be announced in late June. Awards will be made by September 30, 2002. Technical assistance (TA) also will be made available to eligible community groups to help them set up MRCs.
Additionally, the OSG is establishing a Web site for Medical Reserve Corps. This site, which will be linked to the Citizen Corps and USA Freedom Corps Web sites, will include a guide for setting up MRCs as well as a newsletter to disseminate information on best practices and to help to promote communication among MRC units around the country. Watch this newsletter for reports as the MRC initiative moves forward.
Federal Emergency Management Agency If you want to find out what's happening in Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) programs around the country, visit The Connection, an on-line newsletter at http://www.naem.com/connection.html. There you will find articles about the use of CERT members and training written by people around the country involved in community preparedness. In this newsletter, you will read about the volunteer effort by Frank Lucier, who was the program manager for the San Francisco Fire Department's Neighborhood Emergency Response Team Program.
Visit the websites of Citizen Corps partners: Department of Justice, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Health and Human Services, USA Freedom Corps