President George W. Bush will present the President’s Volunteer Service Award to Laura Chanan, 18, when he arrives at the airport in Santa Ana, California, on Monday, April 24, 2006. Chanan, a senior at Tarbut V’Torah Community Day School, is a volunteer with Volunteer Center Orange County. To thank them for making a difference in the lives of others, President Bush has met with more than 490 individuals around the country, like Chanan, since March 2002.

Chanan is the youth representative on Volunteer Center Orange County’s Board of Directors. For three years she has helped organize VCOC’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, a program that engages community members in feeding families in need. She helped plan the 2004Youth Service Conference, an annual event designed to mobilize youth forvolunteer service. Chanan alsoworked with the National Honor Society at Tarbut V’Torah Community Day School to implement a Volunteer Fair which brought together over 60 non-profits and nearly 400 Orange County youth and community members. Youth participants worked on five community service projects, includingsendingmore than 160 care packagesto deployed troops. In addition, Laura volunteers once per week at Cambodian Family Incorporated as a tutor for kindergarten through third grade students.

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. 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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