President George W. Bush will meet Ruth Blake when he arrives in Kansas City, Missouri, on Monday, June 14, 2004.  Blake, 78, is a volunteer with the senior adult education program at Shepherd’s Center of Kansas City Central.  

The USA Freedom Corps is President Bush’s initiative to engage all Americans in service to their neighbors and their nation by volunteering two years or 4,000 hours over the course of their lifetime.  Since January 2002, President Bush has met with hundreds of individuals around the country, like Blake, who are answering the call to volunteer service.

For the past ten years, Blake as been an active volunteer with Shepherd’s Center of Kansas City Central, where she spends 40 to 50 hours each week managing an adult education program.  The “Adventures in Learning” program holds classes designed to stimulate the intellectual, physical, creative, and spiritual side of senior citizens.  Classes are offered in a wide range of subjects such as music history, foreign language studies, yoga and astronomy.  Currently 125 seniors, ranging in age from 60 to 95, are enrolled.  To help non-drivers participate in the classes, Blake also organized and implemented a van program offering door-to-door transportation to the seniors.  Shepherd’s Centers of America, an interfaith, not-for-profit organization, has developed nearly 100 independent Shepherd’s Centers throughout the United States. 

President Bush created the USA Freedom Corps office at the White House to foster a 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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