President George W. Bush will present the President’s Volunteer Service Award to Kathryn Ostapuk when he arrives in Miramar, California, on Tuesday, December 7, 2004. Ostapuk, 24, is an active volunteer with MarineParents.com, a non-profit web site launched in 2003 to provide parents and loved ones of deployed Marines a central gathering place for information and support.

President Bush has called on all Americans to volunteer two years or 4,000 hours over the course of their lifetimes, and hecreated USA Freedom Corpsto help foster a culture of service, citizenship, and responsibility. Since March 2002, President Bush has met with more than 390 individuals around the country, like Ostapuk, who are answering the call to volunteer service.

Ostapuk dedicates approximately 30 hours a week to the web site, moderating a chat room for spouses and girlfriends of deployed Marines. The web site, founded by the mother of a Marine, provides information on the deployment process, base camp locations, tips for sending care packages and mail, and unit deployment hotlines. The site also allows for content contributions from families and deployed Marines and announces support group meetings and rallies. Ostapuk also adopted a platoon and sent care packages and letters of support to the troops during their deployment to Iraq. Once a month she helps prepare meals for single Marines stationed at Camp Pendleton. Ostapuk is married to Corporal John Sylvester who recently returned from a deployment in Iraq.

The President's Volunteer Service Award, an initiative of the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation, are presented to people of all ages who have demonstrated their dedication to volunteer service. More information about the Award is available at www.presidentialserviceawards.gov .

Through 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 at www.usafreedomcorps.gov or by calling 1-877-USA-CORPS.

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