Today, President Bush Participated In Volunteer Service Projects To Help Rebuild The Gulf Coast And Thanked Volunteers For Their Efforts.  In recognition of National Volunteer Week, President Bush stopped in Louisiana and Mississippi to encourage more Americans to volunteer in the Gulf Coast.  Since last year’s hurricanes, volunteers have brought hope to their neighbors, contributing real progress to the rebuilding effort.

• Americans Across The Country Have Made An Unprecedented Commitment To The Gulf Coast.  In his Address to the Nation from New Orleans' Jackson Square on September 15, 2005, the President called on all Americans to help those affected by Hurricane Katrina.
      
  • USA Freedom Corps Is Connecting Americans With Gulf Coast Volunteer Opportunities.  To help Americans answer the call, the White House USA Freedom Corps office created an information clearinghouse allowing individuals, businesses, groups and families to connect with volunteer opportunities to help families in the Gulf Coast.  USA Freedom Corps’ website, www.volunteer.gov, lists nearly 500,000 volunteer opportunities in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.  To date, Americans have conducted over 330,000 searches for volunteer opportunities in the Gulf Coast.
        
  • National Service Programs Are Leading The Way.  More than 21,000 national service volunteers from AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and Learn and Serve America have contributed nearly one million hours to the hurricane relief and recovery efforts in the Gulf Coast and coordinated another 31,000 volunteers.

Federal Agencies Answering President Bush’s Call to Service

President Bush Calls On Federal Agencies To Promote Volunteer Community Service.  Today’s executive order, Responsibilities Of Federal Agencies With Respect To Volunteer Community Service, strengthens the culture of service within each executive agency by establishing a liaison for volunteer community service.

Federal Agencies Participate In National Volunteer Week.  Members of the President’s Cabinet and senior Administration officials participated in volunteer service activities across the country and recognized outstanding volunteers who have answered the President's Call to Service.

• The US Trade Representative served lunch at Tender Mercies, a nonprofit in Cincinnati, Ohio that provides support and housing to the homeless mentally ill.  Ambassador Portman was joined at the volunteer service activity by his wife and three children.
      
• The Secretary of Agriculture participated in a volunteer service activity and delivered remarks about the importance of volunteer service.  Secretary Johanns joined volunteers at the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank in Harrisburg, PA to re-stock shelves and re-pack food items for distribution to individuals and families in need.
      
• Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs Tuerk participated in a volunteer service activity at the VA Medical Center in Washington, DC, helping to distribute veteran patient prescriptions at the Outpatient Pharmacy window.
      
• The Secretary of Health and Human Services acknowledged an outstanding volunteer with the President’s Volunteer Service Award, delivered remarks, and helped seniors sign up at a Medicare Prescription Drug Enrollment Event at the Glenview Community Center & Park in Memphis, Tennessee.
      
• The Secretary of Agriculture delivered remarks on the important role that volunteers play in preserving our environment in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania.
      
• The Deputy Secretary of Agriculture delivered remarks at the Kansas City Symposium on Food Aid in Kansas City, Missouri on the important role that volunteers play in distributing food commodities to the poor and hungry at home and abroad.
      
• The Deputy Secretary of Agriculture delivered remarks on the important role that volunteers play in distributing food to millions of hungry people overseas at the USDA and USAID International Food Aid Conference in Washington, DC.
      
• The Secretary of Homeland Security participated in an event sponsored by the DC Citizen Corps Council and Serve DC with kindergarten students from three public elementary schools in Washington, DC, their parents and teachers.  Secretary Chertoff joined volunteers and local officials to assemble emergency preparedness kits and to highlight the importance of family and community emergency preparedness and help the group.
      
• The Secretary of Treasury participated in a volunteer service activity at the Treasury Department, teaching a lesson titled “Teach Children to Save” to ninth grade students from Woodrow Wilson High School.
      
• Deputy Under Secretary of Defense Arsht acknowledged two outstanding volunteers with the President's Volunteer Service Award and read to children at a U.S. Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia.
      
• The Secretary of Commerce recognized a Commerce Department employee who demonstrated an outstanding commitment to volunteer service with the President’s Volunteer Service Award and spoke to students about the President's American Competitiveness Initiative at Annandale Terrace Elementary School in Annandale, Virginia.
      
• The Secretary of Transportation acknowledged the volunteer work of outstanding government employees who played a critical role in making this year’s Combined Federal Campaign a success.
      
• Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Dobriansky recognized ten US Department of State employees who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to volunteer service with the President’s Volunteer Service Award.
      
• The Secretary of Education tutored a child with Horton’s Kids Tutoring.  Secretary Spellings is joined by other US Department of Education employees who volunteer their time to tutor on a weekly basis with Horton’s Kids Tutoring and Everybody Wins!.
      
• The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development joined volunteers from the DC community and other members of the HUD staff to serve lunch at So Others Might Eat (SOME). SOME is a nonprofit, community-based organization that exists to help the poor and homeless in the District of Columbia.
      
• The Secretary of Energy recognized a Department of Energy employee who has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to volunteer service with the President’s Volunteer Service Award.
      
• The US Attorney General will participate in an outreach program for at-risk children in Washington, D.C at the Federal Bureau of Investigation Headquarters. Attorney General Gonzales will join FBI Agents from the Washington Field Office as part of an ongoing program to educate 6th grade students from Washington, D.C. schools in an academic, physical fitness, and character building program.
      
• The Secretary of Labor will deliver remarks about President Bush’s Call to Service to volunteers at the Chinese Community Center in Houston, Texas.  The mission of the nonprofit agency, which serves nearly 5,000 families yearly, is to bridge the East and West by enriching families with educational, cultural and social service programs.
      
• The Director of National Drug Control Policy will volunteer with Washington Parks & People to perform cleanup and maintenance of Watts Branch Park and the Riverside Center. Director Walters will join with representatives from Parks & People and ONDCP staff members to support the efforts of DC community leaders and volunteers to reconnect the city with its parks from violence and drug dealers.
      
• The Acting Secretary of the Interior will volunteer alongside Department of Interior employees at a Take Pride litter clean-up on the Potomac River with the Capital River Relief Project.

President’s Council On Service And Civic Participation Participate In National Volunteer Week

The President’s Council On Service And Civic Participation Launch Radio Public Service Announcements (PSAs) To Encourage Americans to Volunteer. Council members joined President Bush in releasing a new radio PSA campaign, “Make a Difference.  Volunteer.”  The campaign’s English and Spanish version spots direct listeners to www.volunteer.gov to find volunteer opportunities that fit their interests and skills.

The Council Has Recognized The Dedication Of More Than 400,000 Americans With The President’s Volunteer Service Award. Thousands of organizations will honor their volunteers during National Volunteer Week at ceremonies across the country. Members of the President’s Council will also be making special appearances during the week at service projects and recognition events throughout the country.

USA Freedom Corps Helping Americans Answer President Bush’s Call to Service

President Bush Created USA Freedom Corps To Build On The Countless Acts Of Service, Sacrifice, And Generosity That Followed The Attacks Of September 11, 2001.  When he announced USA Freedom Corps in his 2002 State of the Union Address, President Bush called on all Americans to serve a cause greater than themselves.  USA Freedom Corps promotes and expands volunteer service in America by partnering with national service programs, working to strengthen the nonprofit sector, recognizing volunteers, and helping to connect individuals with volunteer opportunities.  Together with the Corporation for National and Community Service, USA Freedom Corps is working to build a culture of citizenship, service, and responsibility in America. 

• More Americans Are Volunteering.  According to a study released in December 2005 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 65.4 million Americans volunteered in 2005, that is an increase of nearly six million Americans since the President first issued his Call to Service.
      
• Stronger National Service Programs – Under President Bush's leadership, AmeriCorps has grown by 50 percent to support an all-time high of 75,000 AmeriCorps members, Senior Corps has supported more than 500,000 older volunteers annually, and Learn and Serve America has supported more than one million students in service each year. Peace Corps has reached a 30-year high in the number of volunteers in the field. And, nearly 2,000 communities in all 56 states and territories have established Citizen Corps Councils to help inform and train citizen volunteers in emergency preparedness.
      
• USA Freedom Corps Makes It Easy For Americans To Connect With Volunteer Opportunities.  USA Freedom Corps’ web site, www.volunteer.gov, exists for Americans to find volunteer service opportunities in their area.  This search-friendly database includes over 2 million volunteer opportunities from organizations across the country.
      
• President Bush Regularly Honors Outstanding Volunteers.  To thank community volunteers for making a difference in the lives of others, President Bush greets an outstanding local volunteer when Air Force One arrives at cities throughout the country. The President has met nearly 500 volunteers since March 2002. The greeters are nominated for this honor by local volunteer organizations. Each greeter receives the President’s Volunteer Service Award.

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