President George W. Bush presented the President’s Volunteer Service Award to Dr. Elmer Carreno of Silver Spring, Maryland in a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on October 7, 2005. The ceremony, part of a White House celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, was also attended by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez.

Dr. Carreno is director of the Medical Reserve Corps for Prince George’s County Health Department. He participated in a two-week deployment to the Jefferson Parish section of New Orleans accompanied by 88 volunteer nurses and physicians. Their mission, called Operation Lifeline, was to establish clinics in economically depressed areas and to provide medical care to the displaced population. Within 24 hours, six clinics were established. Dr. Carreno led a group of 14 physicians in a clinic housed inside an elementary school. In the first 10 days, more than 4,000 patients received medical aid and comfort at these clinics.

The President's Volunteer Service Award, an initiative of the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation, was established by President Bush in January of 2003 to recognize individuals and organizations that have made a sustained commitment to volunteer service. To date, more than 11,000 organizations have honored 293,000 individuals and groups with this award. To find out more about the President’s Volunteer Service Award, or how your organization can become a certifying organization, visit www.presidentialserviceawards.gov.

Americans can learn more about volunteer opportunities in their community or hurricane-related opportunities in the Gulf Coast by visiting www.usafreedomcorps.gov or calling 1-877-USA-CORPS. USA Freedom Corps, an office at the White House, was created by President Bush in 2002 to help Americans serve a cause greater than themselves. USA Freedom Corps helps Americans answer that call as they promote and expand volunteer service by supporting Federal service programs, serving as a resource for non-profits, recognizing volunteers, and helping to connect individuals with volunteer organizations in their communities.

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