THE WHITE HOUSE

                    Office of the Press Secretary

_____________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                               September 8, 1994


                            PRESS BRIEFING
                                  BY
              THE PRESIDENT AND CEO FOR THE CORPORATION
                  FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE
                              ELI SEGAL

                          The Briefing Room


1:00 P.M. EDT


             MR. SEGAL:  Over the years, all of you have heard a lot
of ideas and grand plans sketched for the administrations of both
parties.  But today, we're not going to talk about concepts, we're
going to talk about reality.  Because, on Monday, the President will
swear-in the first members of Americorps, and national service will
be formally launched.

             From his earliest campaign speeches back in 1991 to his
final moments on the stump, candidate Clinton spoke passionately
about the need to offer young people a chance to serve their country
and earn money for education in return.

             In his Inaugural Address, President Clinton challenged
America's youth to a season of service.  On the 100th day of his
administration, Bill Clinton unveiled his national service Initiative
in a major address at the University of New Orleans.  And last
September, only eight months after he was inaugurated, President
Clinton signed into law the National Community Service Trust Act, a
call to service unmatched in a generation.

             The long crescendo, however, was only a prelude to the
real beginning that we'll commemorate on Monday -- the symphony of
service that we call AmeriCorps.  On Monday, here at the White House,
the President will swear-in hundreds of Americorps members on the
South Lawn; and, simultaneously, thousands upon thousands more by
satellite at events small and large, urban and rural, all across the
country.  These new Americorps members around the country will be
joined by nearly half of the governors of the United States from both
political parties, and a similarly large and bipartisan group of
mayors, educators, business leaders and service heroes.  The press
advisories that you have will give you more of the details.

             We're particularly pleased that on this Monday, 12
Cabinet members will be participating, fanned out at sites literally
from coast to coast -- from Boston to Miami to Los Angeles.  They,
too, are vital part of Americorps as their departments are some of
the sponsors of AmeriCorps programs as well -- partners in what we
call "the Americorps National Service Network."

             But, first and foremost, the official launch of
AmeriCorps is meant to honor and inspire the 20,000 Americans of all
races, religions, incomes and backgrounds who are going to join in
service through Americorps.

             In the next three years, as many as 100,000 Americans
are going to participate in Americorps.  They're dedicated to core
American values:  First, getting things done to make our streets
safer, our schools better, our families healthier, our environment
cleaner.  Second, strengthening communities, showing how Americans
from diverse backgrounds can work together for the common good.
Third, encouraging responsibility, teaching young people to take care
of themselves, take care of their families and take care of their
communities.  And, fourth, expanding opportunity, giving the young
people who do their part with America's future the new skills and a
hand for college.

             Americorps is a grass-roots, bottom-up program.  The
Corporation for National Service works as a venture capitalist in
partnership with more than 350 programs in more than 700 communities
around the country.  These programs have the authority to use their
own creativity and their own imagination to meet local needs.  But,
on the other hand, the obligation to meet national standards for
getting things done.

             Americorps members are going to get things done all
around this country.  We're going to be saving babies in South Texas
and raising reading scores in Seattle.  We're going to be walking the
New York Police Department beat in Brooklyn and patrolling Balboa
Park in San Diego.  We'll be working to reclaim the Gulf Coastline
from a boat and the Chesapeake Bay from an army base.  We'll be
taking seniors safely to the doctor in St. Louis and keeping kids out
of gangs in Killeen, Texas.  We're going to be building new homes in
Roxbury, Massachusetts, and making better parents in Auburn,
Mississippi.

             Americorps is going to get things done in hundreds of
other places around the country.  We're not going to solve the
problems that took decades to create.  We are going to make mistakes
-- all startups do.  We're going to fall short of some of our
objectives -- all bold initiatives do.  But Americorps is going to
make a difference.  And beyond its concrete achievements, Americorps
will remind us every single day how ordinary people can join with
government and with the private sector to take responsibility for our
future.

             Hopefully, my friends, Americorps is going to be a
memorable experience for all -- Monday is going to be a memorable
experience for all Americorps members and the some 2,500 guests we
expect here at the White House.  But Monday is going to be more than
that.  It's going to represent a great new adventure to reclaim our
country from the twin diseases of apathy and despair.  It's going to
be a wonderful day, and I look forward to seeing you all on Monday.

             Thanks very much.

             I'm here to answer questions, and we have packets of
information about Monday should you want more information.

             Q    All summer they've been in pilot programs?

             MR. SEGAL:  Yes.

             Q    And this is the real McCoy.

             MR. SEGAL:  This summer and last summer we tested out
ideas on how Americorps could work this summer.  We had up to 6,000
young people working across the United States in Summer of Safety.
They did all kinds of things, from projects involving dispute
resolution, domestic violence control, the creation of safe havens,
community policing.  All, again, to show that our young people
connecting with police departments and community organizations could
get things done.  We're real happy with the results.  But that,
again, was just a summer program -- it was just a little bit more
than two months.  Now, we're talking about a full-year program.
Every Americorps who will be participating, beginning on Monday, will
serve at least 1,700 hours a year, and will either be working, again,
in public safety or in the areas of health, education, or the
environment.  They will be getting things done.

             Q    What's the budget for the year for Americorps?  And
do the -- does the federal government pay for everything or do these
organizations --

             MR. SEGAL:  First, with respect to the budget, the 1994
figure is $360 million.  The 1995 figure is a little bit over -- it's
just short of $600 million.  We had a substantial increase in the
funding for Americorps -- at least in part because of the broadbased
support we feel we have on Capitol Hill from both political parties.

             The federal government picks up the lion's share of the
cost for Americorps, but not all of it.  When we were designing this
legislation last year, we thought it important that communities be
able to show that they are firmly invested in their communities, that
they are well perceived, respected and have a following in those
communities.  So whereas we will take care of responsibility for the
educational awards for the young people -- that totals $5,000 each
year for up to two -- either before they go to college in the form of
scholarship, or after they leave college in the form of loan
forgiveness.  While we will pay for that completely, young people
will also be making the minimum wage stipend; and in that case the
local programs need to come up with 15 percent of the minimum wage
stipend and 25 percent of the program cost.

             We estimate that for every Americorps we're going to
have in the field, the local communities need to come up with between
$2,000 and $3,000.  And we think that will be one important
indication of the extend to which communities are supporting the
programs.

             Q    I'm sorry, what did you say that number was --

             MR. SEGAL:  $2,000 to $3,000.

             Q    Per person?

             MR. SEGAL:  Per person -- times the 20,000.

             Q    There's some concern on Capitol Hill this might be
-- nothing but a jobs program.  How do you respond to that?

             MR. SEGAL:  We're going to be very careful on that.
National service is not a jobs program.  It's not built that way.  It
is not designed primarily for -- it is not an income-tested program,
not a means tested program.  It's not for rich kids or poor kids or
kids have a that have a 4.0 gradepoint.  It is not designed -- while
they will get training and they will get skills in the process, the
core of this is about their serving their community in exchange for
their education.  This will not be a jobs program, although the
makeup of the people who will serve will be very broad, from those
who are high school dropouts who are studying for their GED, to
people who have their medical degrees, will all be in Americorps, or
eligible to be in Americorps.  But it's not at its heart and soul
about jobs.

             Q    How many applicants were there and how did you
select?

             MR. SEGAL:  Again, there are 20,000 who will begin
serving before the end of the year.  About 15,000 will actually be
sworn in on Monday, we expect.  There are well in excess of 100,000
young people who have in fact been eager to participate in
Americorps.  We have in our data base, off our 800 number, in excess
of that number now even before our public service announcement
campaign begins this week.

             We expect the demand to dramatically overrun supply, at
least at this point.  But frankly as an old marketing person, I kind
of welcome that.  I think if a lot of people want to serve in this,
and if we get our work done, this program will ultimately be one the
American people delight in, the Congress will understand it, and
you'll understand it as well.

             So at this point, there will be more than five young
people will be applying for each one of those positions that we'll be
filling.

             Q    And how do you determine who's --

             MR. SEGAL:  We don't do very much in that at all.  That
is, we are not, unlike the Peace Corps and VISTA before us, we do not
choose the people to serve.  It is the programs that we select who in
fact choose.  We're very much involved as a referral mechanism.
That's what the 800 number has done.  We make available to the local
communities all over the United States what they want.  If they want
specialists in environmental cleanup, we'll tell them that.  If they
want people who are college graduates with degrees in community -- in
police science, we'll supply them with that.

             They've been very, very supportive, these 350 programs
of this effort, and we expect out of this national database will be
enormously helpful in rounding out and making each Americorps as
diverse as we hope they will be.

             Q    Realizing it's difficult to paint this large a
group of people with a broad brush, I'm just wondering what type of
people are getting involved.  Are these idealistic people?  What are
they looking for?  And what are they going to swear to do when they
take this oath?

             MR. SEGAL:  First, who they are.  They're as broad as
America.  As the President always says, he wants national service to
represent the face of America.  We have all kinds of kids.  It's kind
of stunning to think at this day -- and we still talk about the
apathy and greed and the cynicism of the past -- that a recent study
shows that more than two-thirds of college freshmen are actually
volunteering as we speak.  This is an incredible reservoir of young
people who, I think, want to serve, who will, in fact, serve if given
the opportunity.

             I'm sorry, what was the second question?

             Q    What is the oath?  You say they're going to take an
oath.

             MR. SEGAL:  They will be pledging, essentially, as
Americorps, that they will get things done in their communities, that
they will do what they can to fight apathy, and to improve the
communities in which they are operating.  The President will
administer the oath, both here in Washington and by satellite again
to something close to 15,000 young people.

             Other questions, concerns?  Thanks very much.

             THE PRESS:  Thank you.

                                 END1:11 P.M. EDT