President George W. Bush will present the President’s Volunteer Service Award to Marni and Berni Barta when he arrives in Los Angeles, California, on Wednesday, January 30, 2008.  The sisters, both students at Harvard-Westlake School, are founders and volunteers with Kid Flicks. 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 the Barta sisters, since March 2002.

In 2002, Marni, 17, and Berni, 15, founded a not-for-profit called Kid Flicks.  Through this program they solicit and collect new and used DVDs to donate to children’s hospitals and pediatric departments across the United States.  To date, they have donated more than 28,000 movies to 286 hospitals in all 50 states as well as five hospitals in South Africa.  Each hospital receives a library of 100 assorted films that appeal to toddlers through teenagers.   The girls came up with the idea for Kid Flicks when they realized their family had a collection of videos they no longer watched.  They decided to donate their movies to the Pediatric Oncology Department of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles because they remembered that a friend had enjoyed watching movies while she was in the hospital being treated for Leukemia.

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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