President George W. Bush will present the President’s Volunteer Service Award to Cindy Leep when he arrives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Wednesday, October 15, 2008.  Leep is a volunteer with Uganda Amaranth Project for Partners Worldwide. 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 Leep, since March 2002.

Leep is a volunteer with the Uganda Amaranth Project for Partners Worldwide.  Partners Worldwide is a faith-based international volunteer program in which skilled professionals utilize their expertise to help establish and grow businesses in developing countries. Leep has traveled to Uganda, Africa to assist farmers in the Iganga and Sironko districts in growing and marketing amaranth, a high-protein grain that thrives in harsh growing conditions. She and a team of other volunteers work alongside farmers to assist this industry in order to provide jobs and a nutritional food supplement for the local people. In addition, Leep is teaching baking and marketing skills to the Mbale Women’s Association which helps prepare them to open a local bakery.  Partners Worldwide is a member of the Volunteers for Prosperity network, created by President Bush, which allows volunteers to commit to flexible service assignments overseas.  Volunteers work under the direction of private voluntary organizations in activities that support the Nation’s agenda for global health and prosperity.

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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