MORE THAN 100 YOUNG PEOPLE DEPLOY WITH THE GULF COAST RECOVERY CORPS THIS MONTH TO HELP WITH LONG-TERM RECOVERY

Service and Conservation Corps Deploy from Colorado, New Hampshire, New Mexico and Utah to serve residents in Gulfport, Waveland, Kiln and Pearlington, MS

Bay Saint Louis, MS. June 1, 2007—The Corps Network’s Gulf Coast Recovery Corps will have its busiest month on record this June with more than 100 young people deploying from 6 Corps programs nationwide to assist residents along the Mississippi Gulf Coast in the long-term recovery efforts.

The Student Conservation Association (SCA-NH), Southwest Conservation Corps (CO), Colorado Range Rider Youth Corps, Colorado Legends and Legacies Youth Corps, Rocky Mountain Youth Corps (CO) and the Utah Conservation Corps will send more than 100 young people this month.

The crews will be completing service and conservation work in Gulfport, Waveland, Kiln and Pearlington, MS, with projects ranging from home construction and rehabilitation to trail building and environmental restoration. Corps will partner with the Gulfport Greenway, Operation Bridge, ECO-Logic, Grand Bay NERR, KaBOOM, Waveland Citizen Fund, the Kiln Library, Camp Coastal Outpost, Pearlington Recovery Center, DeSoto National Forest and
Habitat for Humanity.

Katie Rose, field director of the Gulf Coast Recovery Corps, said, “June will be our busiest month on record with more than a hundred skilled young people in Mississippi from our nation’s Service and Conservation Corps. We’re thrilled to be helping in so many facets of the recovery efforts. Our crews will be doing everything from rebuilding homes for dislocated residents to restoring the environment which was devastated by Katrina and is critical to tourism in the area.”

Project highlights include:

The Colorado Legends and Legacies Youth Corps will focus on home construction. The crews will partner with the Pearlington Recovery Center and will be involved in every step of house construction from laying foundations to hanging sheet rock to installing cabinets and doors.

The Colorado Range Riders Youth Corps will partner with the Waveland Citizens Fund to assist in the construction of new homes in Waveland. Crews will also work in partnership with Habitat for Humanity helping to build affordable new homes in Bay St. Louis and Waveland.

The Rocky Mountain Youth Corps (CO) will continue work on the Greenway project sponsored by the Turkey Creek Community Initiative (TCCI) in northern Gulfport. Rocky Mountain Youth Corps will also work cooperatively on a number of environmental restoration projects with other area parks.

The Southwest Conservation Corps will refurbish three houses with the Waveland Citizen Fund. Crews will also work on house building with Habitat for Humanity and construct a new nature trail on the Kiln Library property for community use.

The Student Conservation Association will be working at DeSoto National Forest building trails and removing debris. Crews will also work cooperatively with Katrina Relief on community-based clean-ups in parks, the community, and local yards.

The Utah Conservation Corps will partner with the Pearlington Recovery Center on home construction projects. The Corps will be involved in every step of construction from laying foundations to hanging sheet rock to installing cabinets and doors.

About the Gulf Coast Recovery Corps
The Gulf Coast Recovery Corps assists residents impacted by the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in long-term recovery efforts along the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. The Gulf Coast Recovery Corps deploys crews of young people (ages 18-25) from the nation’s 113 Service and Conservation Corps for four week projects that include rebuilding homes and structures, chopping down damaged trees near homes, removing debris, restoring trails, replanting marshes and trees, performing environmental restoration and completing other projects.

Building upon the successes of the Gulf Coast Recovery Corps, The Corps Network will establish a permanent Gulf Coast Conservation Corps this year to continue meeting the needs of local residents in the long-term recovery efforts. For more information about the Gulf Coast Recovery Corps, contact Katie Rose at krose@corpsnetwork.org or (228) 229-0803.

About The Corps Network
The Corps Network is the voice of the nation’s 113 Service and Conservation Corps. Currently operating in 42 states and the District of Columbia, Corps annually enroll more than 23,000 young men and women who contribute about 13 million hours of service per year. In 2004, Corps mobilized 124,000 community volunteers who contributed over 2.4 million additional hours of service.

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.

Contacts:
Katie Rose
Gulf Coast Recovery Corps, Field Director
(228) 229-0803
krose@corpsnetwork.org

Patrick Fitzgerald
The Corps Network, Communications Director
(202) 737-6272
pfitzgerald@corpsnetwork.org

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