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GULF COAST CONSERVATION CORPS PREPARES FOR PROGRAM LAUNCH TWO YEARS AFTER HURRICANE KATRINA DEVESTATES GULF COAST

Corpsmember, Funder and Project Sponsor Recruitment Continues in Advance of the GulfCoast Conservation Corps Launch in October 2007  

Bay Saint Louis, MS.  August 29, 2007 – As the nation commemorates the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, and thanks the many thousands of volunteers from across the nation who have helped to rebuild the Gulf, a new organization rises up to challenge Mississippi’s young people to continue the work that others have begun.  The Gulf Coast Conservation Corps is currently recruiting and fundraising in advance of the program’s launch in October of this year.

“We’re asking our youth to work hard to rebuild the natural beauty of the place they grew up in,” says Lee Ann Kendrick, Gulf Coast Conservation Corps Program Director.  “In return, they gain job skills and experience – and the satisfaction of giving back.  We’re rebuilding our young people and the Gulf at the same time.”

The Gulf Coast Conservation Corps is a new Mississippi-based, non-profit Conservation Corps program designed to engage young people in service to their community and the environment.  The program builds upon a successful project of The Corps Network which deployed approximately 250 young people and staff from our nation’s 113 Service and Conservation Corps programs from Vermont to California to assist residents in the long-term recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. 

Corpsmembers will be meeting a multitude of community and environmental needs in Mississippi and throughout the Gulf Coast by restoring damaged natural habitats, constructing and maintaining trails, restoring historic buildings and structures, removing debris, renovating homes and structures, and completing other projects identified by communities.  While in the Corps, participants or “Corpsmembers” not only give back to the community, but also further their education and learn valuable employment, leadership and life skills.  The experience stresses hard work, personal responsibility, self-confidence, teamwork and stewardship of community and natural resources.

The GCCC plans to involve local volunteers, including engaging businesses in employee volunteer opportunities as a part of sponsorship.  Currently, the GCCC is approaching local businesses to ask for their support.

Lee Ann Kendrick, program director of the Gulf Coast Conservation Corps, said, “We are thrilled by the support we’ve received thus far from the Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Service and other partners in the Gulf.  With the Corps scheduled to launch in October, our efforts continue to focus on recruiting Corpsmembers and securing the funding necessary to sustain the Corps for the long-term.”

About the Gulf Coast Conservation Corps
The Gulf Coast Conservation Corps is a new Mississippi-based, non-profit Conservation Corps program designed to engage young people in service to their community and the environment.  While in the Corps participants or “Corpsmembers” not only give back to the community, but also further their education and learn valuable employment, leadership and life skills.  The experience stresses hard work, personal responsibility, self-confidence, teamwork and stewardship of community and natural resources.

For more information about the Gulf Coast Conservation Corps, visit www.gcccorps.org or contact Lee Ann Kendrick at lkendrick@corpsnetwork.org or (228)224-5699.

About The Corps Network
The Corps Network is the voice of the nation’s 113 Service and Conservation Corps. Currently operating in 41 states and the District of Columbia, Corps annually enroll more than 21,000 young men and women who contribute about 11 million hours of service per year.

Established in 1985 as the National Association of Service and Conservation Corps (NASCC), The Corps Network was at the forefront of the national service movement and remains so today.  Corps are state and local programs engaging primarily young adults (ages 16-25) in service.  The majority of Corpsmembers come to Corps looking for a second chance to succeed in life.  In return for their efforts, Corpsmembers receive guidance by adult leaders who serve as mentors and role models, a modest stipend and a wide range of member development services including significant educational opportunities, employment and training, life skill development, and the opportunity to invest in their communities. 

For more information, visit www.corpsnetwork.org or contact: Patrick Fitzgerald, The Corps Network at pfitzgerald@corpsnetwork.org or at (202) 737-6272.

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