President George W. Bush will meet Jeanne Robertson when he arrives in Seattle, Washington, on Friday, August 13, 2004. Robertson, 82, is a mentor with the Lake Washington School District Lunch Buddy program.

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 Robertson, who are answering the call to volunteer service.

Robertson joined the Lunch Buddy mentoring program 12 years ago and through the years has been paired with several elementary children from Rose Hill Elementary School in Kirkland, Washington. She currently mentors a fourth-grader from a bilingual family, meeting with the student once a week during the school lunch break. They play games, read books, or work on homework. Robertson also meets with her student after school so they can participate in other activities such as baking cookies, shopping, or going to the movies. In 2004, Robertson was named the Outstanding Mentor of the Year in King County.

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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