President George W. Bush will meet Norm Thal when he arrives in Toledo, Ohio, on Friday, October 29, 2004. Thal, 72, is an active volunteer with SCORE, a volunteer management counseling program sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

President Bush has called on all Americans to volunteer two years or 4,000 hours over the course of their lifetimes, and hecreated USA Freedom Corps to help foster a culture of service, citizenship, and responsibility. Since March 2002, President Bush has met with more than 350 individuals around the country, like Thal, who are answering the call to volunteer service.

For the past nine years, Thal has been a volunteer counselor with SCORE, serving approximately 35 hours a month counseling a group of 20 business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs. He was the chairman of the Toledo SCORE chapter for two years. SCORE is comprised of active and retired business executives who volunteer their time to counsel and advise small business owners on the many aspects of starting a business, or improving an existing one. In addition, Thal is a volunteer with Junior Achievement and Read for Literacy, a tutoring program for adults.

Through 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 at www.usafreedomcorps.gov or by calling 1-877-USA-CORPS.

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