Kansas City, Mo. — Actor Sean Astin's commitment to volunteering and civic engagement will be the focus of his remarks when he addresses the opening session of the National Conference on Community Volunteering and National Service at 4 p.m. on Sunday at the Kansas City Convention Center.

The annual gathering of leaders in the volunteer and national service worlds is co-sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service and the Points of Light Foundation. In addition to making keynote remarks, Astin - a lifelong volunteer and an energetic member of the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation - will present the Spirit of Service Awards honoring exemplary AmeriCorps members, Senior Corps volunteers, and Learn and Serve America participants. He will also present the 2004 National Family Volunteer Award to three families and two nonprofit organizations on behalf of the Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network.

Astin is one of Hollywood's most respected young actors and directors, with a distinctive list of projects and credits. He is perhaps most well known for playing Samwise Gamgee in the critical and box office success The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Even with the busy schedule that his film career demands, Astin makes special time for his passions as a very involved citizen. In addition to his membership on the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation, he has served since 1995 as a Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army. Recently, he was honored with the Creative Coalition's prestigious Spotlight Award for his contributions to bridging the gap between Hollywood and Washington on support for art programs in schools and arts education among children around the country. Astin also assists the National Center for Family Literacy in speaking out for family literacy issues across the country. Closer to home, he greatly appreciates the great importance, enormous benefit, and simple joy that comes from teaching his own children to read. Astin graduated with honors from UCLA with degrees in history and American literature and culture. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and their two daughters.

The Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network supports the vital work of millions of volunteers, who are helping to solve serious social problems in thousands of communities nationwide. For more information about local volunteer activities, call 1-800-VOLUNTEER, or visit www.1-800-VOLUNTEER.org.

The Corporation for National and Community Service was established in 1993 to engage Americans of all ages and backgrounds in service to their communities. The Corporation oversees the Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America programs, which together engage more than 2 million Americans in service to their communities and country each year. For more information, call 202-606-5000 or visit www.nationalservice.org.

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