President George W. Bush will meet Lan Phamwhen he arrives in Tampa, Florida, on Friday, July 16, 2004. Pham is an active volunteer with the Catholic Charities Diocese of St. Petersburg.

President Bush hascalled on all Americans to volunteer two years or 4,000 hours over the course of their lifetimes, and hecreated 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 Pham, who are answering the call to volunteer service.

Catholic Charities USA has identified human trafficking as a national priority. The Catholic Charities Diocese of St. Petersburg receives funding from the Department of Health and Human Services for refugee resettlement programs. The services supported by this funding have uncovered trafficking situations and have resulted in victims being rescued.

For the past year, Pham’s volunteer work has centered on outreach, casework, translation services, and teaching English as a second language in immigrant and refugee communities in the Tampa area. Such services are recognized as essential anti-trafficking tools that open doors and build trust with those who have been victimized.

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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