FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
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The White House - USA Freedom Corps
Contact: Press Office Phone: 202-456-7381 |
President Bush to Recognize Pittsburgh Man for Dedication to Volunteer Service |
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President George W. Bush will present the President’s Volunteer Service Award to Dan Wiesman, 22, when he arrives at the airport in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Friday, May, 11, 2007. Wiesman is a volunteer with the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh. 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. President Bush has met with more than 575 individuals around the country, like Wiesman, since March 2002.
Wiesman graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in April. During college he served as the Vice President of the Collegiate YMCA Student Organization, a branch of the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh. He initiated Project Good Day, a program that provides specialized care packages for chronically ill patients at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Wiesman also volunteered with the YMCA’s Activate with After School Program that provides fitness and health classes to elementary school children. In July 2006, he traveled to South Africa with a group of students, staff and volunteers from the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh. They conducted a one-week day camp for 100 children impacted by HIV/AIDS in Durban. Wiesman helped designed the camp activities and recruited participants.
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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