Members of the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation

The White House ^ | 30 January 2003 | White House Press Office

[PhiKapMom]

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
January 30, 2003

Fact Sheet: President Bush Celebrates USA Freedom Corps One-Year Anniversary

President Bush Celebrates USA Freedom Corps One-Year Anniversary Announces New Presidential Council and Spells Out State of the Union Compassion Agenda

"Last year, I called on my fellow citizens to participate in the USA Freedom Corps ... Tonight I ask Congress and the American people to focus the spirit of service and the resources of government on the needs of some of our most vulnerable citizens - boys and girls trying to grow up without guidance and attention, and children who have to go through a prison gate to be hugged by their mom or dad." - President George W. Bush, 2003 State of the Union

Today's Presidential Action

• President Bush joined young people, their mentors and teachers, and leaders of volunteer service organizations to celebrate the first anniversary of the USA Freedom Corps - his initiative to engage all Americans in service to their neighbors and their Nation.

• Following up on his State of the Union address, the President also laid out his vision for two programs that will use almost half a billion dollars over the next three years to match disadvantaged children with caring mentors who can help them find hope and opportunity.

• The President announced that he is forming a new President's Council on Service and Citizenship, and introduced the first members of the council, charging them with leading a massive nationwide effort to recognize the dedicated service of Americans and to engage more individuals in volunteer service.

  New Ways to Make a Difference

• To mobilize individuals to meet pressing community needs around the country, the USA Freedom Corps will begin focusing on some of the needs that can be uniquely addressed through volunteer time and talents. Each calendar quarter, the USA Freedom Corps will offer research, toolkits, and other information regarding one "volunteer service action priority," and will announce new and expanded efforts by the agencies that are a part of the USA Freedom Corps to enhance volunteer efforts in that area. The 2003 priorities include: youth achievement, parks and open spaces, healthy communities, and homeland security.

• The first area of need to be addressed in 2003 is youth achievement. According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2001), one out of every ten children in America is at great risk of failure because he or she experiences four or more factors that adversely influence their future prospects, such as: not living with two parents, having an underemployed parent, living below the poverty line, having a parent or guardian who is a high school dropout, not having health insurance, and/or receiving welfare benefits. Any one risk factor increases the likelihood of negative outcomes for children, but the presence of four or more places the child at a tremendous risk of failure. The Census Bureau has identified 7.1 million children who fall into this high-risk category.

• Research shows that having a mentor decreases the likelihood that disadvantaged youth will engage in violent behavior and drug use, while improving the chances that they will attend school regularly and improve academically. According to MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership, 2.5 million young people in the United States are enjoying mentoring relationships with caring adult volunteers. Unfortunately, millions more disadvantaged young people have not found mentors.

  More Than One Million New Mentors

• To offer more of these disadvantaged youth access to a mentor, the President announced that he will support new mentoring opportunities by investing $450 million in federal funds over the next three years in the nonprofit, community, and faith-based organizations that train volunteer mentors and pair them with youth in need. Today he shared the details of how those funds will be spent to offer young people hope and opportunity.

• The President announced that he will invest $300 million over three years in a program at the U.S. Department of Education to support the development, expansion, and strengthening of exemplary mentoring programs targeted at disadvantaged middle school students in order to cultivate mentors for these young people. These new funds will be used as grants to nationally-affiliated youth-serving organizations, independent community and faith-based organizations, and local education agencies that will link one million students with disadvantaged backgrounds to adult mentors through school-based programs. The program will build on the Mentoring for Success Act passed as an amendment to the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

• Through a new program, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will help more than 100,000 children of prisoners between the ages of 10 and 14 over the next three years to find an adult mentor. They will work with the U.S. Department of Justice and a network of other agencies with a budget of $150 million over three years to offer grants to nationally-affiliated youth serving programs, as well as independent community and faith-based organizations, to support school and community-based mentoring programs. The program will further the goals of the Safe and Stable Families Amendment of 2001, which called for the expansion of services to strengthen families, including creating and expanding mentoring programs for these children through networks of community organizations, including religious organizations.

• Grantees of both programs must fulfill the essential features of successful mentoring programs: screening and matchmaking, orientation and training, and ongoing support and supervision. And the grantees will be rigorously evaluated according to their outcomes both in terms of inputs (volunteer hours, youth served) and outcomes for youth (academic achievement, school attendance, juvenile crime, and the avoidance of risky behaviors, such as substance abuse).

  Engaging Millions - the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation

• President Bush announced that he has formed a new President's Council on Service and Civic Participation modeled on the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, and introduced the first members of the 25-member council who include: entertainers, athletes, retired elected officials, business and media leaders, leaders of nonprofit and volunteer service organizations, and community volunteers.

• The council members will work with a small professional staff. Darrell Green, former Washington Redskins cornerback, will serve as the chair of the council, and retired Senator Robert Dole and retired Senator John Glenn will serve as honorary co-chairs of the council.

• The council will oversee the creation of a nationwide recognition program called the President's Volunteer Service Awards. The awards will be given to millions of individuals engaged in a variety of volunteer services who have made a sustained commitment to service over the course of a one year period.

• Youth can earn a President's Volunteer Service Award by serving 50 or more hours a year, while adults can earn the award by serving 100 or more hours in a year. President's Volunteer Service Awards will also be available for families, for individuals who have served more than 4,000 hours since the President's call to service in 2002, and community-serving groups. Organizations such as businesses and schools will be eligible to receive awards on the basis of supporting a large number of their employees or members in receiving the individual President's Volunteer Service Awards.

• The awards will be available in the spring of this year, and will be used to recognize the dedication of those who earn them and to celebrate excellence in volunteering.

  A Year of Accomplishment

• In July, President Bush launched the USA Freedom Corps Volunteer Network - the largest clearinghouse of volunteer opportunities ever created. It includes millions of opportunities to work with more than 60,000 organizations in all 50 United States and around the world. At the same time, he unveiled public service announcements that send viewers to the network. An estimated 2.7 million people will search for ways to get involved through the USA Freedom Corps Volunteer Network during its first year of operation.

• When President Bush issued his call to service last year, there was no nationwide measure of volunteer behavior to use for setting goals and standards for the USA Freedom Corps. Working with the Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics, the USA Freedom Corps has helped to develop a new measure of volunteer behavior based upon a massive nationwide sample that includes 120,000 individuals 16 and older. The results of the first survey tell us that more than one in four Americans - 59.1 million people - volunteered their time through a local organization between September 2001 and September 2002.

• In the past year the national service programs that are part of the USA Freedom Corps have touched millions of lives at home and abroad. 6,678 Peace Corps volunteers worked in 70 developing countries around the world.
  • The Peace Corps opened or re-opened programs in countries such as East Timor, Peru, Bangladesh, Macedonia, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, and 38 countries have requested Peace Corps volunteers.

  • AmeriCorps members taught and tutored hundreds of thousands of students, maintained thousands of miles of trails, collected hundreds of tons of trash, and immunized thousands of children.

  • More than 500,000 Senior Corps members gave more than 100,000 children preschool and daycare services, collaborated with hundreds of police and community safety organizations, participated in thousands of environmental education programs, and supported other seniors and adults in need of long-term care with meals and other services.

• Since the launch of the USA Freedom Corps, interest in all of these programs has grown significantly:
  • The AmeriCorps program filled its enrollment goals faster than ever before and measures of online applications show a more than 60 percent increase.

  • Demand for information on Senior Corps programs for Americans age 55 and over is also up.

  • More than 115,000 potential Peace Corps volunteers requested applications in 2002, a more than 30 percent increase over 2001.

• The new Citizen Corps launched in 2002 is already supporting local volunteer efforts that help communities prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies.
  • More than 300 Citizen Corps Councils of first responder, local government officials, and volunteer service organizations are up and running around the country.

  • Almost all 50 U.S. states and territories are supporting state or territory-wide Citizen Corps Councils. Volunteers are working with police departments through more than 320 Volunteers in Police Service programs.

  • Doctors and nurses are joining Medical Reserve Corps units across the country.

  • The number of registered Neighborhood Watch groups has more than doubled.

  • Twice as many individuals have been trained to teach emergency response skills through Community Emergency Response Teams.

• Businesses and schools are engaging employees, customers and students in volunteer service. More than 160 businesses and business organizations that employ more than 2 million individuals have joined Business Strengthening America, and thousands of K-12 schools and after-school programs are using resources such as the USA Freedom Corps' Students in Service to America guide and materials to engage young people in developing lifelong habits of service.

• To help our young people develop a better understanding of our democratic traditions and institutions, and create a better informed and more involved citizenry, the USA Freedom Corps has helped to create new "We The People" and "Our Documents" initiatives, and will host a White House Forum on American History, Civics, and Service in February 2003.

  For more information on today's Presidential Action items or on the USA Freedom Corps, please visit www.usafreedomcorps.gov .

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  For Immediate Release
  Office of the Press Secretary
  January 30, 2003

  Executive Order: President's Council on Service and Civic Participation
  

  By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to encourage the recognition of volunteer service and civic participation by all Americans, and especially America's youth, it is hereby ordered as follows:

  Section 1. The President's Council on Service and Civic Participation. (a) There is hereby established within the Corporation for National and Community Services (CNCS) the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation (Council).

  (b) The Council shall be composed of up to 25 members, including representatives of America's youth, appointed by the President. Each member shall serve for a term of 2 years and may continue to serve after the expiration of their term until a successor is appointed. The President shall designate one member to serve as Chair and one member to serve as Vice Chair. Subject to the direction of the Chief Executive Officer of the CNCS, the Chair, and in the Chair's absence the Vice Chair, shall convene and preside at the meetings of the Council, determine its agenda, and direct its work.

  Sec. 2. Mission and Functions of the Council.

  (a) The mission of the Council shall be to:

  (i) encourage the recognition of outstanding volunteer service and civic participation by individuals, schools, and organizations and thereby encourage more such activity, especially on the part of America's youth; and

  (ii) facilitate awareness of the ways in which Americans throughout our history have helped to meet the vital needs of their communities and Nation through volunteer service and civic participation.

  (b) In carrying out its mission, the Council shall:

  (i) design and recommend programs to recognize individuals, schools, and organizations that excel in their efforts to support volunteer service and civic participation, especially with respect to students in primary schools, secondary schools, and institutions of higher learning;

  (ii) exchange information and ideas with interested individuals and organizations on ways to expand and improve programs developed pursuant to subsection 2(b)(i) of this order;

  (iii) advise the Chief Executive Officer of the CNCS on broad dissemination, especially among schools and youth organizations, of information regarding recommended practices for the promotion of volunteer service and civic participation, and other relevant educational and promotional materials;

  (iv) monitor and advise the Chief Executive Officer of the CNCS on the need for the enhancement of materials disseminated pursuant to subsection 2(b)(iii) of this order; and

  (v) make recommendations from time to time to the President, through the Director of the USA Freedom Corps, on ways to promote and recognize outstanding volunteer service and civic participation by individuals, schools, and organizations and to promote awareness of the ways in which Americans throughout our history have helped to meet the vital needs of their communities and Nation through volunteer service and civic participation.

  Sec. 3. Administration. (a) Each Federal agency, to the extent permitted by law and subject to the availability of appropriations, shall furnish such information and assistance to the Council as the Council may, with the approval of the Director of the USA Freedom Corps, request.

  (b) The members of the Council shall serve without compensation for their work on the Council. Members of the Council who are not officers or employees of the United States may receive travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, as authorized by law for persons serving intermittently in the Government (5 U.S.C. 57015707).

  (c) To the extent permitted by law, the Chief Executive Officer of the CNCS shall furnish the Council with necessary staff, supplies, facilities, and other administrative services and shall pay the expenses of the Council.

  (d) The Chief Executive Officer of the CNCS shall appoint an Executive Director to head the staff of the Council.

  (e) The Council, with the approval of the Chief Executive Officer of the CNCS, may establish subcommittees of the Council, consisting exclusively of members of the Council, as appropriate to aid the Council in carrying out its mission under this order.

  Sec. 4. General Provisions. (a) Insofar as the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. App.) (Act), may apply to the administration of any portion of this order, any functions of the President under the Act, except that of reporting to the Congress, shall be performed by the Chief Executive Officer of CNCS in accordance with the guidelines and procedures issued by the Administrator of General Services.

  (b) Unless extended by the President, this order shall expire 2 years from the date of this order.

  GEORGE W. BUSH

  
  THE WHITE HOUSE,

  
  January 29, 2003.

  # # #

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  For Immediate Release
  Office of the Press Secretary
  January 30, 2003

  President Bush Today Announced His Intention to Appoint the Following Individuals to Serve as Members of the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation
  

  President George W. Bush today announced his intention to appoint the following individuals to serve as Members of the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation:

  Darrell Green of Virginia. Green played professional football with the Washington Redskins for 20 consecutive seasons, winning two Super Bowl titles. In 1988, Green founded the Darrell Green Youth Life Foundation, which operates after-school and full-time summer programs for children through their Youth Life Learning Centers. Green will serve as Chair of the Council.

  Robert Dole of Kansas. Elected to both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, Dole served as Senate Republican Leader for 12 years before departing to seek the GOP nomination for President in 1996. Dole also serves as the National Chairman of the World War II Memorial Campaign and Co-Chair of the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund. Dole will serve as Honorary Co-Chair of the Council.

  John Glenn of Ohio. Elected to the U.S. Senate in 1974, Glenn served four consecutive terms in the U.S. Senate and has led a career in public service as a Navy pilot and astronaut. For his service in World War II and the Korean War, Glenn received numerous awards including the American Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, and National Defense Service Medal. Glenn will serve as Honorary Co-Chair of the Council.

  Sean Astin of California. Astin is an actor and director currently starring in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Astin is also recognized for his portrayal as a young man determined to play football for Notre Dame in Rudy (1993) which continues to inspire young people.

  Clotilde Dedecker of New York. Dedecker is President of the National Women's Hall of Fame, Executive Director of the Erie County Commission on the Status of Women and President Emeritus of the Association of Junior Leagues International. She served as co-chair of the U.S. National Committee for the United Nations International Year of the Volunteer.

  Dr. Pedro Garcia of Tennessee. Garcia is the Director of Schools for Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, working to improve learning among 69,000 students and 129 public schools. Previously, Dr. Garcia served as superintendent of the Corona-Norco Unified School District, one of the 15 largest districts in California.

  Luis Gonzalez of Arizona. Gonzalez began his Major League Baseball career in 1990 with the Houston Astros. He currently plays leftfield for the Arizona Diamondbacks and is one of the National League leaders in batting average, homeruns and RBIs. Gonzales also created the Kids Going Gonzo for School program to support economically disadvantaged youth.

  Deal W. Hudson of the District of Columbia. Hudson is the Publisher and Editor of CRISIS Magazine. He was associate professor of philosophy at Fordham University from 1989 to 1995 and taught for nine years at Mercer University in Atlanta, where he was chair of the philosophy department.

  Wendy Kopp of New York. Kopp is the Founder and President of Teach for America, a national corps of college graduates representing all academic majors and backgrounds who commit two years to teach in urban and rural public schools around the country.

  Robert Nardelli of Georgia. Nardelli is Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Home Depot. Founded in 1978, in Atlanta, Georgia, The Home Depot is the world's largest home improvement retailer currently operating 1,502 stores.

  Bill Novelli of Maryland. Novelli is Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of AARP, a membership organization of over 35 million people age 50 and older, half of whom remain actively employed. Prior to joining AARP, Mr. Novelli was President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and previously served as executive vice president of CARE.

  Cal Ripken, Jr. of Maryland. Ripken retired from Major League Baseball in 2001 after playing 21 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles. Ripken helped found the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, which teaches baseball to young people who would not otherwise have the opportunity, and the Kelly and Cal Ripken, Jr. Foundation, which currently focuses on adult and family literacy and youth recreation programs in the greater Baltimore area.

  Cokie Roberts of the District of Columbia. Roberts is a political commentator, observing politics for live news events and regularly scheduled ABC News broadcasts. From 1996 until 2002 she was the co-anchor of "This Week with Sam Donaldson and Cokie Roberts."

  Hope Taft of Ohio. Taft became First Lady of Ohio on January 11, 1999. As Ohio's First Lady, she has focused on three basic areas: mobilizing Ohio communities to promote positive youth development emphasizing drug and alcohol prevention, encouraging and recognizing volunteerism, and promoting Ohio's Bicentennial through Ohio's arts and history.

  Steve Young of California. Young is a former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, honored as Super Bowl XXIX Most Valuable Player (MVP) and the NFL's MVP in 1992 and 1994. Young is the founder and chair of the Forever Young Foundation (FYF), a non-profit public charity, dedicated to the development, security, strength, and education of children.

  Dixie Carter of California. Carter is an actress and performer best known for her roles as Julia Sugarbaker on the long-running comedy, Designing Women, and more recently as Randi King, on Family Law.

  Robert D. Putnam of Massachusetts. Putnam is a Peter and Isabel Malkin Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University, where he teaches American politics, international relations, comparative politics, and public policy. Putnam has authored or co-authored 10 books and more than 30 scholarly works, including Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community (2000).

  Additional members to be announced.

[PhiKapMom]

Posted for your information!

[Charlie OK]

Sean Astin of California. Astin is an actor and director currently starring in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Astin is also recognized for his portrayal as a young man determined to play football for Notre Dame in Rudy (1993) which continues to inspire young people.

SAM!

[Miss Marple]

I am delighted that Cokie Roberts is going to have to work with Julia Sugarbaker. HA!

[PhiKapMom]

LOL!!!! Wouldn't you love to be a fly on the wall in that discussion?

[Miss Marple]

I hope Dixie is in full Sugarbaker mode when she sits in on the first meeting! HA!