President George W. Bush will meet Nicklaus Reichel when he arrives in Rochester, Minnesota, on Friday, October 18, 2002. As part of the Summer of Service youth program, 15 year-old Reichel has volunteered more than 400 hours in service to his community.

In his State of the Union address, President Bush called on all Americans to dedicate at least two years over their lifetime to service to their communities, our country and the world. President Bush is recognizing individuals around the country who are answering the call to service and will recognize Reichel as an example of the dedication to service he is hoping to instill in all Americans through his USA Freedom Corps initiative.

For the past four years, Reichel has been an active volunteer with Summer of Service, a youth program for students ages 11-15. Each summer, Reichel participates in two service projects each day including stocking shelves at a local food shelter and washing cars to help raise money for local nonprofit organizations in the Rochester area. Throughout the school year, Reichel serves as a member of the Youth Action Planning Team helping to organize service projects and activities for other students.

President Bush created the USA Freedom Corps office at the White House to foster an American culture of service, citizenship and responsibility. Through the 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 on the USA Freedom Corps at www.usafreedomcorps.gov or by calling 1-877-USA-Corps.

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