FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, February 04, 2004
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The White House - USA Freedom Corps
Contact: Kathleen Mynster
202-456-7381
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President Bush to Recognize Charleston Man for Dedication to Volunteer Service |
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President George W. Bush will meet Charles Hall
upon arrival in Charleston, South Carolina, on Thursday, February 5, 2004. Hall
is an active volunteer with the Charleston County Citizen Corps Council.
Last month, the USA Freedom Corps – President
Bush’s initiative to engage all Americans in service to their neighbors and
their nation – celebrated its second anniversary. President Bush is recognizing
individuals around the country, like Hall, who are answering the call to
volunteer service.
Since its creation in August 2003, Hall has been
an active volunteer with the Charleston County Citizen Corps Council, a
volunteer-led effort that brings together community leaders and volunteers to
strengthen Citizen Corps programs at the local level and engage citizens in
homeland security. Hall serves as an amateur radio operator with a Community
Emergency Response Team (CERT) and helps communicate important information with
other amateur radio operators during an emergency or disaster situation. During
Hurricane Floyd in 1999, Hall was able to communicate with amateur radio
operators in Georgia who were experiencing the storm before it impacted South
Carolina. Through his volunteer service, Hall provided up-to-date reports about
expected weather conditions for South Carolina to Charleston County Emergency
Preparedness Department officials who in turn relayed the information to other
emergency service organizations. Each week, Hall monitors and tests amateur
radio equipment at the Charleston County Citizen Corps office to ensure
everything is working properly in case there is an emergency. Hall also
volunteers with the local bureau of the National Weather Service, helping to
transmit weather warnings to amateur radio operators across the state so they
can provide early storm warnings to their communities.
President Bush created the USA Freedom Corps office at the White House to
foster a culture of service, citizenship and responsibility. Through the USA
Freedom Corps, President Bush wants to help every American answer the call to
volunteer service by strengthening and expanding service opportunities to
protect our homeland, support our communities and extend American compassion
around the world. Interested volunteers can find opportunities in their own
neighborhoods through the USA Freedom Corps web site at
www.usafreedomcorps.gov
or by calling 1-877-USA-CORPS.
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