President George W. Bush will present the President’s Volunteer Service Award to Dick Stipe when he arrives in Orlando, Florida, on Tuesday, May 9, 2006. Stipe is a volunteer with the Orlando Police Department and the Orlando Citizen Corps Council. 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. Stipe is the 502nd volunteer to greet President Bush since March 2002.

Stipe has been a volunteer with the Orlando Police Department since 1994 and has logged more than 12,000 volunteer hours. Each week he works at the gun range utilized by local law enforcement agencies for handgun and rifle qualification and training. Stipe assists with qualifying drills for the officers, runs computer programs, cleans weapons and keeps track of ammunition. Stipe is also a council member with the Orlando Citizen Corps and has been awarded the designation of Hometown Security Volunteer in recognition of his emergency preparedness training. Citizen Corps, a vital component of USA Freedom Corps, was created to help coordinate volunteer activities that will make communities safer, stronger, and better prepared to respond to any emergency situation. The Citizen Corps Councils bring together leaders from law enforcement, fire, emergency medical and management agencies, local elected officials, volunteer organizations and the private sector to strengthen Citizen Corps programs at the state and local level and engage citizens in homeland security.

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. 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.

###