President George W. Bush will meet Richard McKeon when he arrives in Bay Shore, New York, on Thursday, March 11, 2004. McKeon, an employee with FleetBoston Financial, is an active volunteer with Operation Hope, Inc., a nonprofit organization working to empower individuals through economic education and financial literacy.

Earlier this year, the USA Freedom Corps – President Bush’s initiative to engage all Americans in service to their neighbors and their nation – celebrated its second anniversary. Since January 2002, President Bush has met with more than 250 individuals around the country, like McKeon, who are answering the call to volunteer service.

Since 2001, McKeon has been an active volunteer with Operation Hope’s Banking on Our Future program. As a volunteer, McKeon teaches fifth through 12th grade students about how to open and balance a checking or savings account, create a budget and maintain good credit so they are better able to manage their own financial future. In order to encourage student involvement, McKeon designs creative projects where students pretend to purchase stock, follow the financial markets and report on their investments throughout the semester. During the summer, McKeon teaches students about fiscal responsibility and financial management as part of the Banking on Youth program with the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development's In-School Youth Employment Program. For more than three years, McKeon has served as a big brother to a 14-year-old boy through Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. He also volunteers as chairman of the board for the Lehman Center for the Performing Arts as well as a member of the board of directors for Teach for America in New York.

President Bush created the USA Freedom Corps office at the White House to foster an American culture of service, citizenship and responsibility. Through the USA Freedom Corps, President Bush wants to help every American answer the call to 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 information on the USA Freedom Corps at www.usafreedomcorps.gov or by calling 1-877-USA-CORPS.

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