President George W. Bush will meet Charlie Wargel when he arrives in Saginaw, Michigan, on Thursday, August 5, 2004. Wargel is an active volunteer with Saginaw Habitat for Humanity.

President Bush has called on all Americans to volunteer two years or 4,000 hours over the course of their lifetimes, and he created USA Freedom Corps to 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 Wargel, who are answering the call to volunteer service.

During the past seven years, Wargel has worked on 77 houses as a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. He spends four hours each day at the Habitat office and ten hours a day during Habitat’s annual two-week “blitz build.” Wargel has worked with every Habitat family in Saginaw since 1998, from the initial contact through the construction process. He works on the design phase of the homes, as well as getting quotes on materials and performing construction projects. Saginaw Habitat for Humanity’s purpose is to strengthen the community by helping qualified families become homeowners. Over the past 14 years, they have built over 114 houses.

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.