FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, February 12, 2004
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The White House - USA Freedom Corps
Contact: Kathleen Mynster 202-456-7381 |
President Bush to Recognize Harrisburg Teen for Dedication to Volunteer Service |
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President George W. Bush will meet Lauren Simkulak upon arrival in
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Thursday, February 12, 2004. Simkulak, 18,
volunteers each week at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
Children’s Hospital.
Last month, the USA Freedom Corps – President Bush’s initiative to engage all
Americans in service to their neighbors and their nation – celebrated its second
anniversary. President Bush is recognizing individuals around the country, like
Simkulak, who are answering the call to volunteer service.
Simkulak, a senior at Central Dauphin High School, volunteers each Saturday
at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Children’s Hospital, reading
books, playing games and helping young patients with arts and crafts projects.
Since 2001, Simkulak has helped the Children’s Hospital by volunteering with the
Four Diamonds Fund, an organization that provides financial assistance to
children being treated for pediatric cancer at the hospital. Since 1993, Central
Dauphin High School has held a 12-hour dance marathon each year, where students
stay on their feet for 12 hours and participate in activities to help raise
money for the Four Diamonds Fund. In 2003, Simkulak served as one of three
senior chairpersons for Central Dauphin’s Four Diamonds Mini-thon Committee,
helping to organize the event. More than 300 students at the high school
participated in the mini-thon this past November, raising over $60,000. From
1997 to 2001, Simkulak also volunteered at the Jewish Home of Greater
Harrisburg, a retirement home for seniors, where she visited with residents and
joined them for special events.
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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