President George W. Bush presented the President’s Volunteer Service Award to Marie Arcos, of Houston, Texas in a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on October 7, 2005. The ceremony, part of a White House celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, was also attended by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez.

Arcos, Executive Director of the Anderson YMCA, assisted evacuees who relocated to Houston in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. She helped create a technology lab with more than 100 computer terminals to enable families to register with the American Red Cross and establish e-mail accounts. She also helped entertain children in the YMCA tent located next to the Houston Astrodome. Arcos volunteered more than 200 hours helping the displaced families.

The President's Volunteer Service Award, an initiative of the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation, was established by President Bush in January of 2003 to recognize individuals and organizations that have made a sustained commitment to volunteer service. To date, more than 11,000 organizations have honored 293,000 individuals and groups with this award. To find out more about the President’s Volunteer Service Award, or how your organization can become a certifying organization, visit www.presidentialserviceawards.gov.

Americans can learn more about volunteer opportunities in their community or hurricane-related opportunities in the Gulf Coast by visiting www.usafreedomcorps.gov or calling 1-877-USA-CORPS. USA Freedom Corps, an office at the White House, was created by President Bush in 2002 to help Americans serve a cause greater than themselves. USA Freedom Corps helps Americans answer that call as they promote and expand volunteer service by supporting Federal service programs, serving as a resource for non-profits, recognizing volunteers, and helping to connect individuals with volunteer organizations in their communities.

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