Which Corps Should You Join

Jan. 30, 2002 - Join the corps? Which one? President Bush added more corps to the list of volunteer service corps sponsored by the government in his State of the Union Address last night. There has got to be some confusion about where you should help.

President Bush called on all Americans to serve their nation for the equivalent of two years (4,000 hours) over their lifetimes, and announced "a major new citizen service initiative - the USA Freedom Corps."

Apparently, however, the USA Freedom Corps is just an umbrella name for all the other corps. www.usafreedomcorps.gov/

A news release from the White House today says, the USA Freedom Crops is "a comprehensive, integrated citizen service initiative" that includes three major programs.

• Citizen Corps, which is new, is "to engage citizens directly in improving homeland security." The White House says the Citizen Corps will implement of range of new initiatives to engage ordinary Americans in specific homeland security efforts in their own communities. www.citizencorps.gov

Citizen Corps initiatives include the creation of a Medical Reserve Corps, a Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) program and a Terrorist Information and Prevention System (TIPS) ? as well as a doubling of the Neighborhood Watch program, and a tripling of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program.

• AmeriCorps www.americorps.org/ and Senior Corps www.seniorcorps.org, started by President Bill Clinton, will be "improved and enhanced." The Administration will reform and expand the AmeriCorps and Senior Corps programs to engage thousands of new volunteers in effective, community-based service opportunities.

President Bush's plan will add more than 200,000 participants in community service (25,000 new AmeriCorps participants -- who will generate an additional 75,000 local volunteers -- and 100,000 new Senior Corps participants).

• Peace Corps, www.peacecorps.gov, initiated by President John F. Kennedy: Today, enrollment in the Peace Corps is less than half the historic high level of 15,000 volunteers in 1966. To allow more Americans to demonstrate firsthand the true values of our nation to those in the developing world, the President will propose a doubling of the Peace Corps program over the next 5 years.

The expanded Peace Corps program will include specific efforts targeted at rebuilding Afghanistan.

Today, the President will travel to Winston-Salem, North Carolina for a speech that will outline more of the details about the Citizen Corps.

Following is the outline released by the White House.

CITIZEN CORPS

- The Citizen Corps will enable Americans to volunteer to participate directly in homeland security efforts in their own communities. Citizen Corps will be coordinated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

- Community-based Citizen Corps Councils will help drive local involvement in Citizen Corps, developing community action plans, assessing possible threats, identifying local resources and coordinating other Citizen Corps programs.

- These Councils will be broad-based ? including leaders from law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services, businesses, community-based institutions, schools, places of worship, health care facilities, public works and other key community sectors.

- The President's budget for FY 03 will request $144 million in matching funds to support the formation and training of local Citizen Corps Councils.

- Citizen Corps volunteers will be able to participate in a variety of programs that match their skills and abilities. The President's FY 03 budget provides more than $230 million for these efforts, including:

- Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) Program: Builds on successful local programs in which civilian volunteers help local police departments to perform non-sworn functions, freeing up police officers to perform vital front-line duties in times of emergency.

- Medical Reserve Corps: Enables retired healthcare professionals to effectively augment local health officials' capacity to respond to an emergency.

- Operation TIPS (Terrorist Information and Prevention System): Operation TIPS will enable millions of America transportation workers, postal workers, and public utility employees to identify and report suspicious activities linked to terrorism and crime.

- Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT): The President has proposed tripling over the next two years the number of Americans enrolled in CERT ? a training program that enables individual Americans to participate in emergency management planning in their communities and prepare to respond to disasters and other emergencies.

- Neighborhood Watch Programs: The President's plan will double the number of Neighborhood Watch Programs in the next two years, and enhance the program by incorporating terrorism prevention into its mission.

- Citizens' Preparedness Guidebook: The Citizens' Preparedness Guidebook provides current crime and disaster preparedness techniques as well as the latest information on terrorism, to give Americans guidance on how to prepare in their homes, neighborhoods, workplaces and public spaces.

- For more information on Citizen Corps initiatives or to become a volunteer, Americans can visit www.citizencorps.gov or call 1-877-USA-CORPS.