KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Service to others is a fitting commemoration to the life of President Ronald Reagan; former President George Bush told the thousands gathered for the closing session of the National Conference on Community Volunteering and National Service today.

"There can be no definition of a successful life that does not include service to others," said Bush, who is the founder and honorary chairman of the Points of Light Foundation and who signed first legislation supporting national service programs in 1990. The two organizations that resulted from his actions, the Points of Light Foundation and the Corporation for National and Community Service, co-sponsored the conference, which concluded today at the Kansas City Convention Center.

In honor of Bush's upcoming 80th birthday, as well as the birthday of his wife, Barbara, which is today, the crowd offered birthday greetings to the couple.

On behalf of the Points of Light Foundation, the former president presented five awards recognizing businesses and their executives for their exemplary commitment to giving back to their communities. He presented the George Bush Corporate Leadership Award to Bob Haas, chairman of Levi Strauss & Co. Awards for Excellence in Workplace Volunteer Programs went to GE (Fairfield, Conn.), a multi-industry technology company; KPMG LLP (New York, N.Y.), an audit, tax and advisory firm; State Street Corporation (Boston, Mass.), a financial services company; and Tucson Electric Power Company (Tucson, Ariz.), an electric utility company. Together, the four companies engaged 67,500 men and women in more than one hundred million hours of service in 2002. Their contribution is valued at over $1.7 billion. "There isn't a problem in America that we face that caring citizens, including corporate citizens, aren't addressing," Bush said in presenting the awards.

The conference came at a time Americans when are answering the call to service in growing numbers. A recent federal study found that 64 million Americans volunteered in 2003, an increase of 4 million over the previous year. The national service programs Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America are growing to record levels. Charities and congregations say they can take on an additional 6 million volunteers, according to another recent study.

In closing the conference, David Eisner told the audience that the highlight of his first conference as CEO was administering the AmeriCorps oath to AmeriCorps VISTA members who serving at local volunteer centers to recruit and supervise volunteers. “With support for volunteerism and service at perhaps its highest level ever, we have an incredible opportunity to seize the momentum and build a culture of service and a nation of volunteers," Eisner said.

The Corporation for National and Community Service provides opportunities for Americans of all ages and backgrounds to serve their communities and country through three programs: Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America. Together with the USA Freedom Corps, the Corporation is working to build a culture of citizenship, service, and responsibility in America. For more information, visit www.nationalservice.org.

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