On May 12, 2006, President George W. Bush presented the President’s Volunteer Service Award to five outstanding individuals during a ceremony marking Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in the East Room of the White House.  Dotty Eng is a volunteer with Gold Star Wives of America, which is comprised of women whose spouses died while on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces or from a service-related disability. She is on the national board and is a member of the Potomac Chapter. Since her husband passed, she has raised her three children herself. Dotty volunteers at the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Washington D.C., providing outreach and care to the residents, including Gulf War veterans who relocated to the facility following Hurricane Katrina. For two years Dotty has also assembled USO care packages for military troops deployed overseas.

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.

###