President George W. Bush will meet Michael Toeniskoetter when he visits Poplar Bluff, Missouri, on Monday, September 6, 2004. For the past three years, Toeniskoetter, 16, has been in the Junior Volunteer program at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau.

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 Toeniskoetter, who are answering the call to volunteer service.

During the summer, Toeniskoetter volunteers 40-50 hours a month with the hospital, and during the school year he works once or twice a week and during holiday breaks. Toeniskoetter is also an active volunteer at the First Church of the Nazarene, where he teaches Vacation Bible School, plays in the orchestra, and voluntarily mows lawns for several elderly church members. In addition, Toeniskoetter writes the newsletter for the Family Readiness Group, a support group for families with loved ones deployed overseas. His father is deployed to Kuwait with the National Guard’s 1140^th Engineering Battalion from Cape Girardeau.

Through USA Freedom Corps, President Bush wants to help every American answer the Call to Service by strengthening and expanding service opportunities to protect our homeland, support our communities, and extend American compassion around the world. Interested volunteers can find information at www.usafreedomcorps.gov or by calling 1-877-USA-CORPS.

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