President George W. Bush will present the President’s Volunteer Service Award to David Bulkley when he arrives in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, on Thursday, February 10, 2005. Bulkley, 53, is an active volunteer mentor with the Big Brothers Big Sisters Amachi Mentoring Program in Philadelphia.

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 Corps to 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 Bulkley, who are answering the call to volunteer service.

As a mentor, Bulkley meets with a 15-year-old boy once per week for special events and outings. The Amachi program provides mentoring relationships for children with incarcerated parents. The program is a partnership of local congregations and Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies. In addition, Bulkley is a volunteer Sunday school teacher for teenage boys at the South Jersey Vietnamese Alliance Church in Camden, New Jersey. He is also a merit badge counselor for Boy Scout Troop 176 in Narberth, Pennsylvania.

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.

At the direction of President George W. Bush, USA Freedom Corps is also working with former President George Bush and former President Bill Clinton as they lead a nationwide charitable fundraising effort to encourage private donations to the tsunami relief effort. Americans are asked to donate money to the organizations listed at www.usafreedomcorps.gov.

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