President George W. Bush will meet Jack Lehr when he arrives in Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday, August 5, 2004. Lehr is an active tutor with St. John Learning Center in Columbus.

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 Lehr, who are answering the call to volunteer service.

For the past five years, Lehr has been a volunteer with St. John Learning Center. He tutors adults in the GED preparation classes twice a week during the school year and once a week during the summer. Since 1989, St. John Learning Center has helped more than 1,000 adults raise their basic literacy levels, achieve the Ohio High School Equivalence Diploma, and gain essential job skills to acquire employment. In addition, Lehr volunteers at the HomeReach Hospice program in Columbus and at Hospice of Health First in Melbourne, Florida, during the winter. He is also a coach and cheerleader for Special Olympics in Grove City, Ohio, and volunteers every fall at Heinzerling Developmental and Residential Center for individuals with mental retardation and multiple disabilities.

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.