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AddThis Social Bookmark Button About USA Freedom Corps  > Newsroom >
Presidential Greeter Program
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, December 04, 2007

The White House - USA Freedom Corps
Contact: Press Office
Phone: 202-456-7381

President Bush to Recognize Omaha Woman for Dedication to Volunteer Service

President George W. Bush presented the President’s Volunteer Service Award to Martha Connot upon arrival in Omaha, Nebraska, on Wednesday, December 5, 2007.  Connot is a volunteer with the American Red Cross Heartland Regional Chapter.  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 Connot, since March 2002.

President George W. Bush will present the President’s Volunteer Service Award to Martha Connot when he arrives in Omaha, Nebraska, on Wednesday, December 5, 2007.  Connot is a volunteer with the American Red Cross Heartland Regional Chapter.  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 Connot, since March 2002.

Connot, a native of Bogota, Columbia, is a volunteer with the American Red Cross Heartland Regional Chapter and has logged more than 1,000 hours of service.  She is a volunteer Spanish interpreter and teaches CPR, First Aid and Disaster Preparedness classes to the Spanish-speaking community.  As a member of the American Red Cross Disaster Action Team, Connot deployed to Florida in 2004 to help staff a shelter of predominately Spanish-speaking people impacted by the hurricanes, and she deployed to Mississippi for seven weeks in 2005 in response to Hurricane Katrina.  In 2007, Connot received the Hero in the Heartland award from the American Red Cross.  In addition, Connot is an on-call volunteer with the University of Nebraska Medical Center where she serves as an interpreter for patients.  She also volunteers as the outreach coordinator for the Latino community with the United Way of the Midlands and has been a volunteer for two years for Project Happy Holidays at Offutt Air Force Base.  Through this program volunteers prepare holiday care packages for deployed troops.

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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