President George W. Bush will meet Irving Hall when he arrives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Friday, March 26, 2004. Hall, 70, has been an active volunteer with Habitat for Humanity since 1997.

Earlier this year, the USA Freedom Corps – President Bush’s initiative to engage all Americans in service to their neighbors and their nation by volunteering two years or 4,000 hours – celebrated its second anniversary. Since January 2002, President Bush has met with more than 260 individuals around the country, like Hall, who are answering the call to volunteer service.

Following his retirement, Hall began looking for ways to give back to his community. In 1997, Hall became an active volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, helping to provide quality housing for those in need. Each month, Hall volunteers as part of a “build team” where he works with other volunteers at a designated Habitat for Humanity site and assists with all phases of construction. Hall has served as “job captain” or “co-captain” for 15 houses, where he was responsible for coordinating volunteers, supervising construction projects and managing all activity performed at the build site. Since 1999, Hall and his wife have also volunteered as part of Habitat for Humanity International and the Jimmy Carter Work Project. Through this program, Hall and his wife have financially sponsored as well as shared their own time and talent to build homes in the Philippines, Georgia, Korea and South Africa.

President Bush created the USA Freedom Corps office at the White House to foster an American culture of service, citizenship and responsibility. Through the USA Freedom Corps, President Bush wants to help every American answer the call to 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 information on the USA Freedom Corps at www.usafreedomcorps.gov or by calling 1-877-USA-CORPS.

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