On his arrival in Cleveland, Ohio on Monday, President George W. Bush will meet with Eugene Brudno, a Cleveland senior and World War II veteran who has dedicated more than 25 years as a volunteer to helping families coping with mental illness. In his State of the Union address, President Bush called on all Americans to dedicate at least two years of their lives—the equivalent of 4,000 hours—in service to their communities, our country and the world. His goal is to give Americans a way to respond to the evil of terrorism with acts of compassion. President Bush is recognizing individuals around the country who are answering the call to service, and will recognize Brudno as an example of the dedication to service he is hoping to instill in all Americans through his USA Freedom Corps initiative.

Brudno has dedicated countless hours of volunteer service to supporting families with mentally ill children. Having owned a produce company, Brudno is known in many Cleveland neighborhoods as "Eugene the Eggman." Brudno began volunteering with Jewish Family Services more than 25 years ago and has founded several organizations to help families cope with mental illness.

Brudno and his wife, Irene, are the co-founders of the Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Metro Cleveland. He is also a co-founder of PLAN (Planned Living Assisted Network) of Northeastern Ohio, which assists adults with mental illnesses when their parents or caretakers pass away. The organization serves 120 families in Ohio.

Reporters interesting in interviewing Brudno should contact Kathy Levine with Jewish Family Services at (216) 849-5515.

President Bush created the USA Freedom Corps office at the White House to foster an American culture of service, citizenship and responsibility. Through the USA Freedom Corps, President Bush wants to help every American answer the call to service by strengthening and expanding service opportunities to protect our homeland, support our communities and extend American compassion around the world. Interested volunteers can find information on the USA Freedom Corps at www.usafreedomcorps.gov or by calling 1-877-USA-Corps.

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