President George W. Bush will present the President’s Volunteer Service Award to John Jackson when he arrives in Houston, Texas, on Friday, July 18, 2008.  Jackson is a volunteer with the Prison Entrepreneurship Program.  To thank them for making a difference in the lives of others, President Bush honors a local volunteer when he travels throughout the United States.  He has met with more than 650 volunteers, like Jackson, since March 2002.

Jackson has been a volunteer for four years with the Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP). This Houston-based non-profit strives to stimulate positive life transformation for inmates by uniting them with local business executives who provide entrepreneurial education and mentoring. The goal of the program is to equip inmates with values-based entrepreneurial training to enable them to productively re-enter society.  Jackson volunteers as an executive mentor to inmates, as well as program graduates who are re-entering the workforce.  He also shares his business knowledge and expertise with aspiring entrepreneurs at the Cleveland Correctional Center and teaches business classes at the PEP Entrepreneurship School located on the campus of Rice University. Additionally, Jackson serves on PEP's Governing Board and helps set the vision for the program’s continued operation and growth.

In his January 2002 State of the Union Address, President Bush called on all Americans to make a difference in their communities through volunteer service. He created USA Freedom Corps, an Office of the White House, to strengthen and expand volunteer service. Americans are responding to the President’s Call to Service. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 61 million Americans volunteered in 2006. Go to www.volunteer.gov or call 1-877-USA-CORPS to find an existing volunteer service opportunity in your area or to find more information about service programs, including national service programs such as the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and Citizen Corps. USA Freedom Corps is also highlighting youth volunteer service. Visit www.volunteerkids.gov for games and ideas designed to show how America's youth are making a difference.

The President's Volunteer Service Award was created at the President’s direction by the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation. The Award is available to youth ages 14 and under who have completed 50 or more hours of volunteer service; to individuals 15 and older who have completed 100 or more hours; and to families or groups who have completed 200 or more hours. For more information about the Award, please visit www.presidentialserviceawards.gov.

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