President George W. Bush will meet Andrea Martin when he arrives in Nashville, Tennessee, on Tuesday, August 31, 2004. Martin, 21, is an active volunteer with Mercy Ministries, a local non-profit, faith-based ministry for girls ages 13 to 28 who are struggling with drug and alcohol abuse, unplanned pregnancies, eating disorders, or abuse.

President Bush has called 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 Martin, who are answering the call to volunteer service.

Martin has been a volunteer with Mercy Ministries for three years. After graduation from high school, Martin put college on hold for one year to volunteer full-time at Mercy Ministries. Now that she is a sophomore at Middle Tennessee State University, she volunteers at Mercy Ministries once a week and on weekends.

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 summer is 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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