President George W. Bush will present the President’s Volunteer Service Award to Fran Rickers when he arrives in Fargo, North Dakota, on Thursday, February 3, 2005. Rickers, 65, is an active volunteer at the Fargo Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

President Bush has called on all Americans to volunteer two years or 4,000 hours over the course of their lifetimes, and hecreated USA Freedom Corpsto help foster a culture of service, citizenship, and responsibility. Since March 2002, President Bush has met with more than 400 individuals around the country, like Rickers, who are answering the call to volunteer service.

Since 1977, Rickers has volunteered more than 3,300 hours at the Fargo Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Once a week, Rickers visits each of the patients in the hospital and provides them personal care items such as toiletries, stamps, and handmade quilts, free of charge. Rickers helps solicit the items from the local Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary where she has been a member and volunteer for nearly 30 years. Rickers also serves on the Voluntary Services Advisory Committee for the medical center and helps organize bingo games, holiday activities, and special programs for the patients.

The President's Volunteer Service Award, an initiative of the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation, is available to Americans of all ages who have demonstrated their dedication to volunteer service. More information about the award is available at www.presidentialserviceawards.gov.

Through USA Freedom Corps, President Bush wants to help every American answer the Call to Service by strengthening and expanding service opportunities. Interested volunteers can find available service opportunities in their communities at www.usafreedomcorps.gov or by calling 1-877-USA-CORPS. For information designed to show elementary and middle school students how they can start making a difference by volunteering, visit www.usafreedomcorpskids.gov.

At the direction of President George W. Bush, USA Freedom Corps is also working with former President George Bush and former President Bill Clinton as they lead a nationwide charitable fundraising effort to encourage private donations to the tsunami relief effort. Americans are asked to donate money to the organizations listed at www.usafreedomcorps.gov.

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