President George W. Bush will present the President’s Volunteer Service Award to Pat Taylor when he arrives at the airport in Newport News, Virginia, on Saturday, February 3, 2007.  Taylor is a volunteer with the Peninsula Crime Line, the Newport News Commission on Youth, and a variety of other community organizations.  To thank them for making a difference in the lives of others, President Bush honors a local volunteer, called a USA Freedom Corps Greeter, when he travels throughout the United States.  President Bush has met with more than 550 individuals around the country, like Taylor, since March 2002.

In 1990, Taylor lost her husband as the result of a crime committed within their home.  Since that time she has been an active volunteer for the Peninsula Crime Line, the Crime Watch Coalition, and the Peninsula Crime Victims Council.  She is also a graduate of the Newport News Police Department's Citizen Police Academy.  In addition, Taylor is the Citizen Representative on the Newport News Commission on Youth.  She helps coordinate the annual Newport News Middle School Summit, an educational program designed to discourage youth from gangs and violence.  Taylor also volunteers with “Every 15 Minutes,” a program for high school students which demonstrates the potentially dangerous consequences of drinking and driving.  She is working with the Boys & Girls Club of the Virginia Peninsula to establish an Adult Computer Education Program taught by youth.

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.

###