President George W. Bush will meet Grace McCarthy when he arrives in Marquette, Michigan, on Tuesday, July 13, 2004. McCarthy, 83, is an active volunteer in her community who has servedover 4,000 hours with the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, an organization that enriches the lives of seniors by matching their interests with needs in the community.

President Bush hascalled on all Americans to volunteer two years or 4,000 hours over the course of their lifetimes, and hecreated the USA Freedom Corpsto help foster a culture of service, citizenship, and responsibility. Since January 2002, President Bush has met with hundreds of individuals around the country, like McCarthy, who are answering the call to volunteer service.

McCarthy spends an average of 20 hours a week in a variety of volunteer activities, including volunteering three days a week performing administrative work at the Upper Peninsula Children's Museum. She serves on the Marquette County Citizen Corps council and she has recently completed Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training which equips volunteers to conduct fire prevention, emergency preparedness, shelter-in-place, and evacuation planning. The training also prepares volunteers for proper response to homeland security situations. McCarthy also volunteers with Triad for Seniors, working with the sheriff, police chiefs, and senior leadership in Marquette County to reduce the criminal victimization of seniors and to enhance the delivery of law enforcement services.

The USA Freedom Corps has launched “A Call to Summer Service,” an initiative to encourage Americans to spend a part of their summer in volunteer service. Through “A Call to Summer Service,” citizens are reminded that the summer months are an excellent time to answer the President’s Call to Service, strengthen their communities, and extend the compassion and greatness of America. Interested volunteers can find ideas for summer volunteering and information on how to get started at www.usafreedomcorps.gov.

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