President George W. Bush will present the President’s Volunteer Service Award to Janet Parks when he arrives in Kansas City, Missouri, on Tuesday, August 21, 2007. Parks volunteers with a variety of community organizations including CASA, Spofford, and FaithWork. To thank them for making a difference in the lives of others, President Bush honors a local volunteer when he travels throughout the United States. He has met with more than 600 volunteers, like Parks, since March 2002.

Parks has been a Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) volunteer with Jackson County for four years. Through this program she provides support for neglected or abused children going through the legal system. Parks also mentors youth at Spofford, a Kansas City program that provides residential treatment and school-based case management for at-risk children and their families. In addition, she volunteers with FaithWork at the Church of the Resurrection in Leewood. This outreach program provides opportunities for church members to meet community needs through service projects at local soup kitchens, shelters and food banks.

In his January 2002 State of the Union Address, President Bush called on all Americans to make a difference in their communities through volunteer service. He created USA Freedom Corps, an Office of the White House, to strengthen and expand volunteer service. Americans are responding to the President’s Call to Service. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 61 million Americans volunteered in 2006. Go to www.volunteer.gov or call 1-877-USA-CORPS to find an existing volunteer service opportunity in your area or to find more information about service programs, including national service programs such as the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and Citizen Corps. USA Freedom Corps is also highlighting youth volunteer service. Visit www.volunteerkids.gov for games and ideas designed to show how America's youth are making a difference.

The President's Volunteer Service Award was created at the President’s direction by the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation. The Award is available to youth ages 14 and under who have completed 50 or more hours of volunteer service; to individuals 15 and older who have completed 100 or more hours; and to families or groups who have completed 200 or more hours. For more information about the Award, please visit www.presidentialserviceawards.gov.

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