President George W. Bush will meet Matthew Meyer when he arrives in Mason City, Iowa, on Wednesday, October 20, 2004. Meyer, 17, led the efforts to create a memorial to firefighters on the grounds of the Mason City Fire Department.

President Bush has called on all Americans to volunteer two years or 4,000 hours over the course of their lifetimes, and hecreated USA Freedom Corpsto help foster a culture of service, citizenship, and responsibility. Since March 2002, President Bush has met with more than 350 individuals around the country, like Meyer, who are answering the call to volunteer service.

For the past year and a half, Meyer has been working on a memorial to firefighters to fulfill his Eagle Scout volunteer service project. The memorial is designed to honor the contributions of local firefighters and to remember firefighters, nationwide, who have died in the line of duty. In September 2003, Meyer met with a local artist to design the memorial. He also raised funds and secured donations of lumber, flowers, and a granite plaque for the project. Meyer and a team of 16 volunteers worked on the memorial for more than one month. The project was completed on October 9, 2004.

Through 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 at www.usafreedomcorps.gov or by calling 1-877-USA-CORPS.

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