President George W. Bush will present the President’s Volunteer Service Award to Elliott Knofsky McCarthy, 17, when he arrives in Miami, Florida, on Friday, October 12, 2007. Knofsky McCarthy is a volunteer with the North American Federation of Temple Youth, Temple Beth Sholom and the Student Government Association of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools. To thank them for making a difference in the lives of others, President Bush honors a local volunteer when he travels throughout the United States. He has met with more than 600 volunteers, like Knofsky McCarthy, since March 2002.

Knofsky McCarthy, a senior at the New World School of the Arts, volunteers as the Religious and Cultural Vice President for the Southern Tropical Region of the North American Federation of Temple Youth, which provides religious and cultural programs for Reform Jewish youth from Gainesville to Miami-Dade County. He also serves as a peer leader and volunteer at Temple Beth Sholom in Miami Beach and has been a counselor and mentor for four years at Camp Jenny, an outreach program for elementary school students from inner-city Atlanta. In addition, Knofsky McCarthy serves as the president of the Student Government Association for Miami-Dade County Public Schools and is the chair of the Children’s Trust Youth Advisory Council.

In his January 2002 State of the Union Address, President Bush called on all Americans to make a difference in their communities through volunteer service. He created USA Freedom Corps, an Office of the White House, to strengthen and expand volunteer service. Americans are responding to the President’s Call to Service. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 61 million Americans volunteered in 2006. Go to www.volunteer.gov or call 1-877-USA-CORPS to find an existing volunteer service opportunity in your area or to find more information about service programs, including national service programs such as the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and Citizen Corps. USA Freedom Corps is also highlighting youth volunteer service. Visit www.volunteerkids.gov for games and ideas designed to show how America's youth are making a difference.

The President's Volunteer Service Award was created at the President’s direction by the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation. The Award is available to youth ages 14 and under who have completed 50 or more hours of volunteer service; to individuals 15 and older who have completed 100 or more hours; and to families or groups who have completed 200 or more hours. For more information about the Award, please visit www.presidentialserviceawards.gov.

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