FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, June 04, 2004
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Corporation for National and Community Service
CONTACT: Siobhan Dugan
202-606-5000 x151
sdugan@cns.gov |
Actor and Civic Spokesman Sean Astin to Address National Volunteer Conference in Kansas City |
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Kansas City, Mo. — Actor Sean Astin's commitment to volunteering and civic
engagement will be the focus of his remarks when he addresses the opening
session of the National Conference on Community Volunteering and National
Service at 4 p.m. on Sunday at the Kansas City Convention Center.
The annual gathering of leaders in the volunteer and national service worlds
is co-sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service and the
Points of Light Foundation. In addition to making keynote remarks, Astin - a
lifelong volunteer and an energetic member of the President's Council on Service
and Civic Participation - will present the Spirit of Service Awards honoring
exemplary AmeriCorps members, Senior Corps volunteers, and Learn and Serve
America participants. He will also present the 2004 National Family Volunteer
Award to three families and two nonprofit organizations on behalf of the Points
of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network.
Astin is one of Hollywood's most respected young actors and directors, with a
distinctive list of projects and credits. He is perhaps most well known for
playing Samwise Gamgee in the critical and box office success The Lord of the
Rings trilogy. Even with the busy schedule that his film career demands, Astin
makes special time for his passions as a very involved citizen. In addition to
his membership on the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation, he
has served since 1995 as a Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army. Recently,
he was honored with the Creative Coalition's prestigious Spotlight Award for his
contributions to bridging the gap between Hollywood and Washington on support
for art programs in schools and arts education among children around the
country. Astin also assists the National Center for Family Literacy in speaking
out for family literacy issues across the country. Closer to home, he greatly
appreciates the great importance, enormous benefit, and simple joy that comes
from teaching his own children to read. Astin graduated with honors from UCLA
with degrees in history and American literature and culture. He currently
resides in Los Angeles with his wife and their two daughters.
The Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network supports
the vital work of millions of volunteers, who are helping to solve serious
social problems in thousands of communities nationwide. For more information
about local volunteer activities, call 1-800-VOLUNTEER, or visit
www.1-800-VOLUNTEER.org.
The Corporation for National and Community Service was established in 1993 to
engage Americans of all ages and backgrounds in service to their communities.
The Corporation oversees the Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve
America programs, which together engage more than 2 million Americans in service
to their communities and country each year. For more information, call
202-606-5000 or visit
www.nationalservice.org.
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