President George W. Bush will present the President’s Volunteer Service Award to Bradley Fisher, 17, and Taylor Mayes, 17, when he arrives at the airport in Kansas City, Missouri, on Friday, September 8, 2006.  Fisher and Mayes, seniors at Smithville High School, are volunteers with Youth with Vision. To thank them for making a difference in the lives of others, President Bush honors local volunteers, called USA Freedom Corps Greeters, when he travels throughout the United States.  President Bush has met with more than 500 individuals around the country, like Fisher and Mayes, since March 2002.

Fisher and Mayes are co-chairmen of Youth with Vision, a youth-led leadership organization created to address the issue of substance abuse prevention, specifically underage drinking.  Working with a grant from Youth Service America’s Youth Venture Program, they created the Kansas City Wall of Fame and Shame for National and Global Youth Service Day 2006.  Fisher and Mayes scouted local businesses and created a Wall of Fame to honor retailers who kept clothing and other products with alcohol, drug, or sexual messages out of the youth sections of their stores. They also created a Wall of Shame highlighting retailers who featured products containing inappropriate messages targeted to youth.   In addition, Fisher and Mayes work with Those Who Host Lose the Most, an anti-underage drinking campaign geared to parents who provide alcohol to minors. They have also met with state and national elected officials to encourage them to sponsor legislation to discourage underage drinking. 

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. 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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