President George W. Bush will meet Lucia Haas when he arrives in Phoenix, Arizona, on Wednesday, August 11, 2004. Haas, 73, is an active volunteer with the Surprise Senior Center.

President Bush has called on all Americans to volunteer two years or 4,000 hours over the course of their lifetimes, and he created USA Freedom Corps to help foster a culture of service, citizenship, and responsibility. Since March 2002, President Bush has met with more than 300 individuals around the country, like Haas, who are answering the call to volunteer service.

Since 2003, Lucia has been a volunteer with the center, where she teaches English and Spanish classes, calls Bingo games, instructs needle craft and sewing classes, and serves meals to the seniors. In addition, Lucia helps translate the center's newsletters and correspondence for Spanish-speaking seniors. The Surprise Senior Center provides a variety of programs and activities for citizens over age 60 and disabled adults, and offers a hot lunch program, fitness center, and trips geared for senior adults. For two years, Lucia volunteered at Boswell Memorial Hospital in Sun Citycaring for infants in the childcare center for hospital employees. She also served as a translator for nurse practitioners in Maricopa County who were caring for non-English speaking patients.

USA Freedom Corps has launched “A Call to Summer Service,” an initiative to encourage Americans to spend a part of their summer in volunteer service. Through “A Call to Summer Service,” citizens are reminded that the summer months are an excellent time to answer the President’s Call to Service, strengthen their communities, and extend the compassion and greatness of America. Interested volunteers can find ideas for summer volunteering and information on how to get started at www.usafreedomcorps.gov.

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