President George W. Bush will meet Mila Nguyen upon arrival in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, December 2, 2003. Nguyen is an active volunteer with Pittsburgh Cares and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.

Earlier this year, President Bush celebrated the first anniversary of the USA Freedom Corps – his initiative to engage all Americans in service to their neighbors and their nation. President Bush is recognizing individuals around the country, like Nguyen, who are answering the call to volunteer service.

For the past two years, Nguyen has volunteered each month with Pittsburgh Cares, a non-profit organization that creates flexible and meaningful volunteer opportunities for individuals in Pittsburgh. As a volunteer, Nguyen works with children at a local mental health and mental retardation center, visits older Americans at senior citizen centers and spends time with children waiting to receive a Big Brother or Big Sister as part of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Nguyen serves as a Big Sister to a 9-year-old girl in Pittsburgh, and also volunteers with individuals who have recently moved to the United States as part of the English as a Second Language Conversation Partners’ Program. Recently, Nguyen founded Read It and Leave It, a program in Pittsburgh that promotes literacy and encourages individuals to read by providing books in public spaces throughout the city for anyone to read and then leave for others to enjoy.

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 volunteer 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 opportunities in their own neighborhoods through the USA Freedom Corps web site at www.usafreedomcorps.gov or by calling 1-877-USA-CORPS.

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