President George W. Bush will meet Kathleen Eid-Heberle when he arrives in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Thursday, October 24th. Heberle has been an active volunteer with the American Red Cross at the national and local level for the past 18 years.

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 Eid-Heberle as an example of the dedication to service he is hoping to instill in all Americans through his USA Freedom Corps initiative.

Eid-Heberle currently serves as chairperson of disaster health services for the Greater Carolinas Chapter of the American Red Cross. In this volunteer capacity, she helps to coordinate nursing services during disaster situations and helps train and organize volunteer staff at local American Red Cross shelters. She has responded to emergency disasters in California, Louisiana, New Jersey and North Dakota. Eid-Heberle also volunteers her time teaching nursing disaster courses at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Queens University of Charlotte.

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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