President George W. Bush will meet Bryan Comstock when he arrives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Wednesday, August 4, 2004. Comstock is a volunteer firefighter with the Mankato Fire Department.

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 March 2002, President Bush has met with more than 300 individuals around the country, like Comstock, who are answering the call to volunteer service.

For the past seven years, Comstock has been a volunteer firefighter with the Mankato Fire Department working 14-hour shifts three times a month. He spends at least 60 hours each year on continuing education and nationally certified training. Last year, Comstock earned 123 hours of continuing education credit, more than any other volunteer in the department. The Mankato Fire Department utilizes both full-time and volunteer firefighters. The volunteer firefighters provide staffing, primarily at night, to handle fire, medical, and other emergency service calls. Comstock also instructs public safety classes for new firefighters at South Central Technical College in Mankato.

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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