President George W. Bush will present the President’s Volunteer Service Award to Sherri Goggin when he arrives in Marietta, Georgia, on Tuesday, July 22, 2008.  Goggin is the founder of Bundles of Joy, and a volunteer with Butterfly Dreams Farm Therapeutic Riding Program. 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 650 volunteers, like Goggin, since March 2002.

Goggin, who served as Mrs. Georgia 2006, founded the Bundles of Joy gift bag program to recognize and celebrate children born prematurely.  Gift bags filled with homemade fleece blankets, teddy bears, books, and March of Dimes resource materials are delivered to Neonatal Intensive Care Units in hospitals throughout Georgia.  Volunteers in five states help make the blankets and assemble the gift bags for delivery. Goggin was inspired to create this program after giving birth to premature twins and spending 126 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with her daughter, Kate.  She lost her son Jack hours after his birth. Goggin serves on the Board of Directors for the March of Dimes of Northeast Georgia and also volunteers with the Butterfly Dreams Farm Therapeutic Riding Program, a horse therapy program for children with special needs. Additionally, Goggin organized Community Service Expo 2008, scheduled to take place in Athens, Georgia, in September 2008. The event will feature over 100 non-profit agencies sharing their mission and volunteer opportunities.

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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