President George W. Bush will present the President’s Volunteer Service Award to Reggie Wright when he arrives in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on Wednesday, February 16, 2005. Wright, 80, is an active volunteer with the Portsmouth Veterans Affairs Community Based Outpatient Clinic located on Pease Air Force Base. Wright is a combat veteran who served with the United States Army from 1943 to 1946.

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 Corpsto help foster a culture of service, citizenship, and responsibility. Since March 2002, President Bush has met with more than 400 individuals around the country, like Wright, who are answering the call to volunteer service.

Since 1990, Wright has volunteered more than 5,700 hours at the Portsmouth Veterans Affairs Community Based Outpatient Clinic. The clinic is supported by the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Manchester, New Hampshire. For 11 years, Wright provided veterans with transportation to and from their scheduled appointments at the clinic. For the past four years, he has spent six hours each weekday helping staff and patients at the clinic. Wright greets patients as they enter, checks them in for appointments, and provides coffee and conversation while the veteran is in the waiting room. Wright volunteers because he is determined that each veteran experience a true sense of compassion and respect when they walk into the clinic.

The President's Volunteer Service Award, an initiative of the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation, is available to Americans 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. Interested volunteers can find available service opportunities in their communities at www.usafreedomcorps.gov or by calling 1-877-USA-CORPS. For information designed to show elementary and middle school students how they can start making a difference by volunteering, visit www.usafreedomcorpskids.gov.

At the direction of President George W. Bush, USA Freedom Corps is also working with former President George Bush and former President Bill Clinton as they lead a nationwide charitable fundraising effort to encourage private donations to the tsunami relief effort. Americans are asked to donate money to the organizations listed at www.usafreedomcorps.gov.

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