President George W. Bush will meet Brandon Gray when he arrives in Atlanta, Georgia, on Monday, May 17, 2004.  Gray is an active volunteer with Jumpstart Atlanta, an early literacy organization that recruits, trains, and places college students in one-on-one mentoring relationships with children in early learning programs. 

The USA Freedom Corps is President Bush’s initiative to engage all Americans in service to their neighbors and their nation by volunteering two years or 4,000 hours over the course of their lifetime.  Since January 2002, President Bush has met with more than 290 individuals around the country, like Gray, who are answering the call to volunteer service.

Two to three times a week Gray reads to a young boy from a local Head Start program and they discuss what they have read and how to use the pictures to aid in the process of learning to read.  Gray also spends time with the students in various activities such as drawing, playing with puppets, and role playing.  As a result of the individualized attention that JumpStart Corps members like Gray provide, children build language, literacy, social, and initiative skills -- skills that provide the necessary groundwork for later academic and social success.  In addition to the time that he spends with the students, Gray also meets with the other JumpStart Corps members several times each week and participates in planning meetings where they exchange ideas and discuss how they can improve their program. 

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 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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