President George W. Bush will present the President’s Volunteer Service Award to Caroline Tom when he arrives in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Saturday, September, 8, 2007.  Tom is a volunteer with the Lanakila Multi-Purpose Center and Palama Settlement.  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 Tom, since March 2002.

Tom has been a volunteer at the Lanakila Multi-Purpose Senior Center for 10 years and has logged nearly 10,000 hours of service.  Lanakila Multi-Purpose Center, a program of Catholic Charities Hawaii, provides recreational, educational and volunteer service opportunities for seniors 60 years and older. As a volunteer hostess, Tom provides patrons information on classes, activities and special events.  She has served as the center’s representative on the Medicare Beneficiary Advisory Committee and has been a volunteer escort with the Catholic Charities Transportation Unit, a program that assists senior citizens with weekly shopping and errands.  In addition, Tom is a line-dancing instructor at the Lanakila Senior Center and Palama Settlement. She received the 2007 Outstanding Female Volunteer of the Year Award from the City and County of Honolulu Elderly Affairs Division, Department of Community Service.

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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