President George W. Bush will meet Chip Collins when he arrives in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Friday, October 22, 2004. Collins, 69, is an active volunteer with the Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) program in the Clearwater Police Department Park Patrol.

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 350 individuals around the country, like Collins, who are answering the call to volunteer service.

As a uniformed VIPS volunteer driver, Collins checks the city parks for safety hazards and criminal activity and assists officers on traffic detail. Collins is also on-call seven days a week as a member of the Homeland Security Patrol and the Quick Response Team assisting law enforcement officers at major crime scenes, traffic fatalities, and other disaster situations. In addition, Collins is the editor of the Clearwater Police Department’s monthly newsletter for volunteers.

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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