President George W. Bush will present the President’s Volunteer Service Award to Monica Hardin when he arrives in Louisville, Kentucky, on Thursday, March 10, 2005. Hardin, 23, is an active volunteer with Kentucky Harvest.

President Bush has called on all Americans to volunteer two years or 4,000 hours over the course of their lifetimes, and he created USA Freedom Corpsto help foster a culture of service, citizenship, and responsibility. Since March 2002, President Bush has met with more than 400 individuals around the country, like Hardin, who are answering the call to volunteer service.

Over the past three years, Hardin has volunteered more than 4,000 hours with Kentucky Harvest. She is currently the chairperson for the program’s Thanksgiving committee, which organizes a holiday meal for more than 4,000 people in nine counties in the Louisville area. Hardin also organizes food delivery to nine shelters and coordinates volunteer involvement for this event. Kentucky Harvest was established in 1987 as an all-volunteer organization whose mission is to feed those less fortunate. Each day, Kentucky Harvest provides 15,000 meals free of charge throughout Jefferson, Henry, Clark, Nelson, Shelby, Harrison, Floyd, Bullet and Oldham counties encompassing Central Kentucky and Southern Indiana.

The President's Volunteer Service Award, an initiative of the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation, is available to Americans of all ages who have demonstrated their dedication to volunteer service. More information about the award is available at www.presidentialserviceawards.gov.

Through USA Freedom Corps, President Bush wants to help every American answer the Call to Service by strengthening and expanding service opportunities. Interested volunteers can find available service opportunities in their communities at www.usafreedomcorps.gov or by calling 1-877-USA-CORPS. For information designed to show elementary and middle school students how they can start making a difference by volunteering, visit www.usafreedomcorpskids.gov.

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