President George W. Bush will present the President’s Volunteer Service Award to Karen Stark when he arrives at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, on Friday, September 12, 2008.  Stark is the founder of The Hugs Project.  To thank them for making a difference in the lives of others, President Bush honors a local volunteer when he travels throughout the United States.  He has met with more than 650 volunteers, like Stark, since March 2002.

In 2004, Stark founded The Hugs Project to provide handmade cooling ties, nicknamed hugs, to military troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.  These reusable ties, worn around the neck, are filled with polymer crystals which, when hydrated, help reduce body temperature in the summer months. Volunteers also knit helmet liners, neck warmers and fingerless gloves for use during the winter.  The Hugs Project has more than 1,800 volunteer members, serving in every state and 41 countries, who manufacture, pack, and send hugs to the troops.  Volunteers with this project have sent out more than 500,000 hugs and over 125 tons of care package items to deployed service members.

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. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 61 million Americans volunteered in 2006. 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.

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