President George W. Bush will meet Billiee Pendleton-Parker upon arrival in Atlanta, Georgia, on Thursday, January 15, 2004. Pendleton-Parker has been an active volunteer with Hands On Atlanta for the past four years.

Later this month, the USA Freedom Corps – President Bush’s initiative to engage all Americans in service to their neighbors and their nation – will celebrate its second anniversary. President Bush is recognizing individuals around the country, like Pendleton-Parker, who are answering the call to volunteer service.

Since 1999, Pendleton-Parker has been an active volunteer with Hands on Atlanta, a non-profit organization that helps individuals, families, corporate and community groups find flexible volunteer opportunities among more than 400 service organizations and schools. In 2002, Pendleton-Parker served as volunteer chair for “Hands on Atlanta Day,” where more than 15,000 volunteers participated in over 200 service projects across the city. Pendleton-Parker also serves as a project coordinator for Hands on Atlanta, organizing volunteer visits twice each month to King’s Bridge, an assisted living community for senior citizens in Atlanta. During these visits, volunteers meet with senior residents, organize arts and craft projects, play games and celebrate birthdays together. Each year, Pendleton-Parker celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a day of service to others. In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day next week, Pendleton-Parker is organizing special activities for residents at the King’s Bridge community center to celebrate this day.

President Bush created the USA Freedom Corps office at the White House to foster a culture of service, citizenship and responsibility. Through the USA Freedom Corps, President Bush wants to help every American answer the call to volunteer service by strengthening and expanding service opportunities to protect our homeland, support our communities and extend American compassion around the world. Interested volunteers can find opportunities in their own neighborhoods through the USA Freedom Corps web site at www.usafreedomcorps.gov or by calling 1-877-USA-CORPS.

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