President George W. Bush will present the President’s Volunteer Service Award to Bill Yancey when he arrives in Nashville, Tennessee on Thursday, July 19, 2007. Yancey is a volunteer with a variety of community organizations including the Oasis Center Youth Shelter, Monroe Harding Children’s Home, the Nashville Area Habitat for Humanity and Room in the Inn. 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 Yancey, since March 2002.

Yancey is a volunteer at the Oasis Center Youth Shelter. Once a week he coordinates a Game Night for teens who are staying at the shelter. Since October 2002, Yancey has spent time with over 500 teens in crisis and given more than 800 hours of volunteer service to the Oasis Center. Yancey is also a mentor for young menat Monroe Harding Children's Home,a volunteer with the Nashville AreaHabitat for Humanity, and has been delivering meals for disabled or elderly adults with Meals on Wheels for the Martha O’Bryan Center for 20 years. In addition, Yancey is the coordinator for Westminster Presbyterian Church's Room in the Inn program. Through this ministry,Nashville churches of all faiths open their facilities one night per week during the winter months to provide shelter and food for the homeless.

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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