Washington, DC – A leading Washington philanthropist, the First Lady of Ohio, and a winner of NBC’s “The Apprentice” are among the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation Members who will highlight three outstanding volunteer efforts in Washington on Wednesday, October 11.

The President’s Council is proud to recognize programs that perform outstanding volunteer service, and Wednesday’s visits are designed to bring attention to three particularly effective organizations. Council Members will visit the Washington City Year program, a Citizens Corps demonstration, and Kid Power-DC. (The Kid Power visit is closed to the public and media.) Members will learn about the programs, meet and interact with volunteers, and recognize selected individuals with the President's Volunteer Service Award.

President’s Council Members making the visits are Jean Case, Chair and President of The Case Foundation; Hope Taft, the First Lady of Ohio; Kelly Perdew, Managing Director of Angel-Led Venture Partners and second-season winner of NBC’s “The Apprentice”; Janine Turner, Actor, Writer and Director; Mary Jo Myers, wife of a former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Wendy Spencer, Executive Director of Volunteer Florida!.

The schedule on Wednesday is as follows:

• 1:30 – 2:30: City Year DC – 918 U Street, NW
• 2:30 – 3:30: Citizen Corps demonstration – same location
• 3:45 – 4:30: Kid Power-DC (Closed to the public and media)

About the Programs:

City Year Washington, D.C. is a proud member of the AmeriCorps network that connects 17- to 24-year-olds with underserved youth for a year of service. City Year provides critical services that include substance abuse and HIV/AIDS prevention education, tutoring, leadership development, and transformative community service projects. City Year Washington, DC annually provides more than 100,000 hours of community service, works with more than 7,800 children, and engages more than 1,000 adults in volunteer community renovation projects.

Citizen Corps is coordinated by the Department of Homeland Security to promote volunteer service activities that support homeland security and community safety. The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program is a Citizen Corps component that educates people about disaster preparedness and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, and disaster medical operations. CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help.

Kid Power-DC is a Washington program that uses local history as the starting point for comprehensive citizenship training. By making a personal connection to the past and by acquiring advanced academic and artistic skills, Kid Power believes at-risk youth can become powerful neighborhood advocates. The organization uses this educational process to help students gain independence to promote positive social change. In structured after-school programs, Kid Power-DC provides training in writing, research, filmmaking, and visual and performing art.

The 25-member President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation was given a charge by President Bush to promote an ethic of service and to recognize the millions of Americans who are giving back to their communities through generous acts of service. To date, more than 16,500 organizations are part of the Council’s network, and together they have honored nearly 500,000 of America’s volunteers with the President’s Volunteer Service Award. Administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, together with the USA Freedom Corps, the Council brings together leaders from the worlds of business, entertainment, sports, education, government, nonprofits, and the media to promote their efforts. To learn more about the Council, its members, and the President’s Volunteer Service Award Program please visit http://www.usafreedomcorps.gov/council.

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