President George W. Bush will present the President’s Volunteer Service Award to Randy Raggio when he arrives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Tuesday, April 22, 2008. Raggio is a volunteer with Desire Street Academy. To thank them for making a difference in the lives of others, President Bush honors a local volunteer when he travels throughout the United States. He has met with more than 600 volunteers, like Raggio, since March 2002.

Raggio is a volunteer withDesire Street Academy, a program of Desire Street Ministries, which provides an education for middle and high schoolAfrican-American urban males. Desire Street Academy strives to empower the young men physically, academically, spiritually and socially, and to equip them for success in life. Raggiois an academictutor for remedial math and the ACT college entrance exam preparation. In addition,he helped prepare a marketing plan for Desire Street Academy and has worked with the Advisory Committee on publicity and fundraising as they work to establish a foundation in their new home in Baton Rouge. Desire Street Academy was launched in New Orleans in 2002. When the facilities were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, the academy relocated temporarily to a boarding school camp in Niceville, Florida, before moving in 2007 to its current location in Baton Rouge. The program’s executive director, Danny Wuerffel, serves on the President’s Council of Service and Civic Participation and will accompany Raggio on Tuesday.

In his January 2002 State of the Union Address, President Bush called on all Americans to make a difference in their communities through volunteer service. He created USA Freedom Corps, an Office of the White House, to strengthen and expand volunteer service. Americans are responding to the President’s Call to Service. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 61 million Americans volunteered in 2006. Go to www.volunteer.gov or call 1-877-USA-CORPS to find an existing volunteer service opportunity in your area or to find more information about service programs, including national service programs such as the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and Citizen Corps. USA Freedom Corps is also highlighting youth volunteer service. Visit www.volunteerkids.gov for games and ideas designed to show how America's youth are making a difference.

The President's Volunteer Service Award was created at the President’s direction by the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation. The Award is available to youth ages 14 and under who have completed 50 or more hours of volunteer service; to individuals 15 and older who have completed 100 or more hours; and to families or groups who have completed 200 or more hours. For more information about the Award, please visit www.presidentialserviceawards.gov.

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