President George W. Bush will meet Hilary Juel upon arrival in Phoenix, Arizona, on Wednesday, January 21, 2004. Juel has been an active volunteer with the Make A Difference organization since 1997.

Later this month, the USA Freedom Corps – President Bush’s initiative to engage all Americans in service to their neighbors and their nation – will celebrate its second anniversary. President Bush is recognizing individuals around the country, like Juel, who are answering the call to volunteer service.

For the past seven years, Juel has been an active volunteer with Make A Difference, a non-profit organization in Arizona that mobilizes volunteers, develops and manages innovative programs and links individuals with meaningful service opportunities to help strengthen their community. Over the years, Juel has participated in several volunteer service projects such as revitalizing a downtown Phoenix neighborhood as part of “A Day for Downtown” and volunteering as a service project chairman for the Make A Difference “Serve-A-Thon,” an annual day of service that includes more than 4,000 volunteers participating in 100 different volunteer activities. Juel also works to find and create volunteer opportunities for working individuals. As an employee at the Intel Corporation, she has organized and participated in several volunteer activities with her co-workers such as building an outdoor picnic area for children, planting trees and shrubs at an elementary school, creating a garden for kindergarten students, and painting a technology-themed mural at another local school. From 1997 to 2002, Hilary served as a Big Sister with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona and received the “School-Based Volunteer of the Year” award in 1999.

President Bush created the USA Freedom Corps office at the White House to foster a culture of service, citizenship and responsibility. Through the USA Freedom Corps, President Bush wants to help every American answer the call to volunteer 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 opportunities in their own neighborhoods through the USA Freedom Corps web site at www.usafreedomcorps.gov or by calling 1-877-USA-CORPS.

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