President Obama Unveils 'United We Serve'

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, in a video message, President Obama unveiled United We Serve, an extended call to service challenging all Americans to help lay a new foundation for growth in this country by engaging in sustained, meaningful community service. The initiative will be led by the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency dedicated to fostering service in communities across the country. Since his Inauguration, the President has called on all Americans to serve their communities and be a part of building a better future for our country.

The United We Serve summer initiative begins on June 22nd and runs through the National Day of Service and Remembrance on September 11th. The National Day of Service and Remembrance was created by the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, which President Obama signed in April to help encourage and facilitate community service across the country. During this summer, the President is renewing his call to all Americans to identify needs in their communities, engage in meaningful service to create change – and stay engaged with those projects long after September. The President’s call focuses on four key areas where everyone can have a continuing impact in their community: education, health, energy and the environment and community renewal. To create new service projects, to find service projects in their communities and to share stories about projects that are making a difference, Americans can visit the Corporation’s website, http://www.serve.gov/.

President Obama’s video was distributed via email by the Corporation for National and Community Service. View President Obama’s full video message at http://www.serve.gov/.

“The challenges we face are unprecedented in their size and scope, and we cannot rely on quick fixes or easy answers to put us on the road to recovery,” President Obama says in the video message. “In this new century, we need to a build a new foundation for economic growth in America. My Administration has already begun this work with dramatic new investments in education, health care and clean energy – investments that will create new jobs and lay the foundation for lasting prosperity. But we cannot do this alone here in Washington…’

‘Economic recovery is as much about what you're doing in your communities as what we're doing in Washington – and it’s going to take all of us, working together.”

The goal of United We Serve is to help make volunteerism and community service part of the daily lives of all Americans in order to help build a new foundation, one community at a time.

Disaster Preparedness for Kids

Delaware Citizen Corps has added a new section on the links page with disaster preparedness activities for kids. There are a variety of resources available from FEMA, Red Cross, and many more that can be used both at home or in a school setting. As we find links in this subject, we will add them to the page.

Check out the link below for these resources:

http://www.delawarecitizencorps.org/links3

Preparedness Night At The Ballpark

On May 28, Delaware Citizen Corps and Wilmington OEM/Citizen Corps partnered with the Blue Rocks Minor Leagues Baseball Team to promote a Preparedness Night at the River Front Ball Park in Wilmington. Over 4,000 people attended the event, with FREE Citizen Corps/Blue Rocks Duffle Bags given to the first 1,000 fans The Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA), New Castle County OEM/Citizen Corps, DHSS-Delaware Medical Reserve Corps and the American Red Cross of the Delmarva Peninsula, joined DE Citizen Corps and Wilmington with display tables and gave away disaster preparedness materials. Twenty Seven (27) lucky fans won Disaster Kits when their ticket and seat number was announced, 9-Citizen Corps, 9-Red Cross and 9-DMRC Coolers with material and supplies in them were given away between each inning of the game. Disaster Preparedness announcements were and will be made between innings of each game, as well as electronic messages to be shown throughout the season. The Disaster Preparedness Sign in centerfield which says "Make a Plan, Make a Kit" will also be displayed for the entire season. Five Hundred (500) small plastic bags filled with disaster materials were placed on car windows parked outside the stadium for fans to take home and share with their families. Citizen Corps Training and Outreach Coordinator Marny McLee threw out the first pitch.