On arrival in Atlanta on Monday, President George W. Bush will meet Darryl Hicks, an active volunteer with Habitat for Humanity and other organizations serving the Atlanta community. In his State of the Union address, President Bush called on all Americans to dedicate at least two years of their lives—the equivalent of 4,000 hours—in service to their communities, our country and the world. President Bush is recognizing individuals around the country who are answering the call to service, and will recognize Hicks as an example of the dedication to service he is hoping to instill in all Americans through his USA Freedom Corps initiative.

For the past decade, Hicks has been an active volunteer in home building projects for Habitat for Humanity and a member of the organization's board of directors. Also involved in community work with his church, Hicks will start a new volunteer commitment in the coming weeks serving meals at the Atlanta Union Mission. His past volunteer service includes leading the South Fulton March of Dimes Annual Campaign for several years and serving as a mentor through the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program.

Hicks is involved in a number of Atlanta organizations through his job as the Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer for Civic Affairs at AGL Resources, Inc., such as the Atlanta Union Mission, the Atlanta Junior League Advisory Committee, Cool Girls, Inc, Junior Achievement, the United Way of Metro Atlanta, and the Wesley Woods Geriatric Center. Hicks' dedication to service stems from his experience receiving help from others as a boy. As a college student, He worked as a counselor with Upward Bound, a program for low-income high school students seeking a college education. Hicks was an Upward Bound student in high school.

President Bush created the USA Freedom Corps office at the White House to foster an American culture of service, citizenship and responsibility. Through the USA Freedom Corps, President Bush wants to help every American answer the call to service by strengthening and expanding service opportunities to protect our homeland, support our communities and extend American compassion around the world. Interested volunteers can find information on the USA Freedom Corps at www.usafreedomcorps.gov or by calling 1-877-USA-Corps.

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