January 30, 2006: Headlines: USA Freedom Corps: Yahoo News: President Bush signs presidential proclamation in honor of the Fourth Anniversary of USA Freedom Corps
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January 30, 2006: Headlines: USA Freedom Corps: Yahoo News: President Bush signs presidential proclamation in honor of the Fourth Anniversary of USA Freedom Corps
President Bush signs presidential proclamation in honor of the Fourth Anniversary of USA Freedom Corps
President George W. Bush today signed a Presidential Proclamation recognizing the fourth anniversary of USA Freedom Corps. The President was joined in the Oval Office by Desiree T. Sayle, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of USA Freedom Corps, David Eisner, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, Gaddi H. Vasquez, Director of the Peace Corps, and Liz DiGregorio, Director of Citizen Corps.
President Bush signs presidential proclamation in honor of the Fourth Anniversary of USA Freedom Corps
President Bush, National Service Partners Honor Fourth Anniversary of USA Freedom Corps
The White House - USA Freedom Corps
Contact: Press Office
202-456-7381
01/30/2006
Caption: President Bush signs a presidential proclamation in honor of the Fourth Anniversary of USA Freedom Corps in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 30, 2006, in Washington. Standing behind the President, from left to right, Kathy Wills Wright and Desiree Sayle, both with USA Freedom Corps, Liz DiGregorio, Dir. of Citizen Corps, Gaddi Vasquez, Dir. of the Peace Corps and David Eisner, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. (AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – President George W. Bush today signed a Presidential Proclamation recognizing the fourth anniversary of USA Freedom Corps. The President was joined in the Oval Office by Desiree T. Sayle, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of USA Freedom Corps, David Eisner, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, Gaddi H. Vasquez, Director of the Peace Corps, and Liz DiGregorio, Director of Citizen Corps.
“President Bush created USA Freedom Corps to enable more Americans to volunteer and make a difference in the lives of others,” said Sayle. “Because of the President’s leadership and commitment to volunteer service, Americans of all ages and abilities have been inspired and equipped to help their neighbors in need.”
President Bush created USA Freedom Corps to build on the countless acts of service, sacrifice, and generosity that followed September 11, 2001. When he announced USA Freedom Corps in his 2002 State of the Union Address, President Bush called on all Americans to serve a cause greater than themselves. Over the past four years, USA Freedom Corps has worked to help Americans answer that call by supporting national service programs, serving as a resource for non-profits, recognizing volunteers, and helping to connect individuals with volunteer organizations in their communities.
USA Freedom Corps has provided important leadership to help build a culture of service in America.
* More Americans Volunteering - According to a study released in December 2005 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 65.4 million Americans volunteered in 2005 – an increase of more than 6.5 million since President Bush made his Call to Service in 2002.
* Stronger National Service Programs – Under President Bush's leadership, AmeriCorps has grown by 50 percent to support 75,000 AmeriCorps members each year, Senior Corps has supported more than 500,000 older volunteers annually, and Learn and Serve America has supported more than one million students in service each year. Peace Corps has reached a 30-year high in the number of volunteers in the field. And, nearly 2,000 communities in all 56 states and territories have established Citizen Corps Councils to help inform and train citizen volunteers in emergency preparedness.
* Helping Americans Find Volunteer Opportunies
Volunteer Network – USAFC offers a website, www.volunteer.gov, and a toll-free number, 1-877-USA-CORPS, for Americans to find volunteer service opportunities in their area. This search-friendly database includes over 2 million volunteer opportunities from organizations across the country.
USAFC Kids Website – In 2004, USAFC launched www.volunteerkids.gov to engage and inspire young people to perform community service. Children can find games and ideas designed to show them how they can make a difference in their schools and neighborhoods.
* Recognizing Americans Who Serve
President’s Volunteer Service Award - The President's Volunteer Service Award was created by President Bush to recognize outstanding volunteers. The Award is available to Americans of all ages who complete a significant amount of service to their communities. To date, nearly 311,000 individuals have received the President’s Volunteer Service Award.
The President’s Greeter Program - To thank community volunteers for making a difference in the lives of others, President Bush greets an outstanding local volunteer when Air Force One arrives at cities throughout the country. The President has met more than 465 volunteers since March 2002. The greeters are nominated for this honor by local volunteer organizations. Each greeter receives a President’s Volunteer Service Award.
* Supporting Hurricane Relief and Recovery - After the hurricanes of 2005, nearly 8 million Americans turned to the USA Freedom Corps and their Volunteer Network to find service opportunities to help their neighbors in the Gulf Coast. In the months and years ahead, USA Freedom Corps and the www.volunteer.gov website will continue to be a reference point for Americans wanting to help in the Gulf Coast.
“We’ve seen a tremendous increase in volunteer service, but there is still more work to do, and USA Freedom Corps remains committed to helping all Americans answer the President’s Call to Service,” Sayle said.
In his January 2002 State of the Union Address, President Bush called on all Americans to make a difference in their communities and across the globe through volunteer service. He created USA Freedom Corps, an Office of the White House, to help Americans answer his Call to Service. Visit http://www.volunteer.gov or call 1-877-USA-CORPS to find an existing volunteer service opportunity and to find more information about volunteer service programs.
When this story was posted in January 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:
Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
| Why blurring the lines puts PCVs in danger When the National Call to Service legislation was amended to include Peace Corps in December of 2002, this country had not yet invaded Iraq and was not in prolonged military engagement in the Middle East, as it is now. Read the story of how one volunteer spent three years in captivity from 1976 to 1980 as the hostage of a insurrection group in Colombia in Joanne Marie Roll's op-ed on why this legislation may put soldier/PCVs in the same kind of danger. Latest: Read the ongoing dialog on the subject. |
| PC establishes awards for top Volunteers Gaddi H. Vasquez has established the Kennedy Service Awards to honor the hard work and service of two current Peace Corps Volunteers, two returned Peace Corps Volunteers, and two Peace Corps staff members. The award to currently serving volunteers will be based on a demonstration of impact, sustainability, creativity, and catalytic effect. Submit your nominations by December 9. |
| Peace Corps at highest Census in 30 years Congratulations to the Peace Corps for the highest number of volunteers in 30 years with 7,810 volunteers serving in 71 posts across the globe. Of course, the President's proposal to double the Peace Corps to 15,000 volunteers made in his State of the Union Address in 2002 is now a long forgotten dream. With deficits in federal spending stretching far off into the future, any substantive increase in the number of volunteers will have to wait for new approaches to funding and for a new administration. Choose your candidate and start working for him or her now. |
| 'Celebration of Service' a major success The Peace Corps Fund's 'Celebration of Service' on September 29 in New York City was a major success raising approximately $100,000 for third goal activities. In the photo are Maureen Orth (Colombia); John Coyne (Ethiopia) Co-founder of the Peace Corps Fund; Caroline Kennedy; Barbara Anne Ferris (Morocco) Co-founder; Former Senator Harris Wofford, member of the Advisory Board. Read the story here. |
| PC apologizes for the "Kasama incident" The District Commissioner for the Kasama District in Zambia issued a statement banning Peace Corps activities for ‘grave’ social misconduct and unruly behavior for an incident that occurred on September 24 involving 13 PCVs. Peace Corps said that some of the information put out about the incident was "inflammatory and false." On October 12, Country Director Davy Morris met with community leaders and apologized for the incident. All PCVs involved have been reprimanded, three are returning home, and a ban in the district has since been lifted. |
| The Peace Corps Library Peace Corps Online is proud to announce that the Peace Corps Library is now available online. With over 30,000 index entries in 500 categories, this is the largest collection of Peace Corps related stories in the world. From Acting to Zucchini, you can find hundreds of stories about what RPCVs with your same interests or from your Country of Service are doing today. If you have a web site, support the "Peace Corps Library" and link to it today. |
| Friends of the Peace Corps 170,000 strong 170,000 is a very special number for the RPCV community - it's the number of Volunteers who have served in the Peace Corps since 1961. It's also a number that is very special to us because March is the first month since our founding in January, 2001 that our readership has exceeded 170,000. And while we know that not everyone who comes to this site is an RPCV, they are all "Friends of the Peace Corps." Thanks everybody for making PCOL your source of news for the Returned Volunteer community. |
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Story Source: Yahoo News
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