Editor's Note: Find out more about the Awards for Excellence in Workplace Volunteer Program honorees and their impact.

SERVICE CRUCIAL TO SUCCESSFUL LIFE, FORMER PRESIDENT TELLS VOLUNTEER LEADERS

Bush Addresses Conference, Presents Awards

KANSAS CITY, MO (June 8, 2004) - A fitting commemoration to the life of President Ronald Reagan is that "service to others continues during this difficult time," former President George Bush told the thousands gathered for the closing session of the National Conference on Community Volunteering and National Service today.

"There can be no definition of a successful life that does not include service to others," said Bush, who is the founder and honorary chairman of the Points of Light Foundation. In addition, he signed legislation that set the stage for national service programs. The two organizations that resulted from his actions, the Points of Light Foundation and the Corporation for National and Community Service, co-sponsored the conference, which concluded today at the Kansas City Convention Center.

In honor of Bush's upcoming 80th birthday, as well as the birthday of his wife, Barbara, which is today, the crowd offered birthday greetings to the couple, including a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday to You."

On behalf of the Points of Light Foundation, the former president presented five awards recognizing businesses and their executives for their exemplary commitment to giving back to their communities. He presented the George Bush Corporate Leadership Award to Bob Haas, chairman of Levi Strauss & Co. Awards for Excellence in Workplace Volunteer Programs went to GE (Fairfield, CT), a multi-industry technology company; KPMG LLP (New York, NY), an audit, tax and advisory firm; State Street Corporation (Boston, MA), a financial services company; and Tucson Electric Power Company (Tucson, AZ), an electric utility company. Together, the four companies engaged 67,500 men and women in more than one hundred million hours of service in 2002. Their contribution is valued at over $1.7 billion. "There isn't a problem in America that we face that caring citizens, including corporate citizens, aren't addressing," Bush said in presenting the awards.

Volunteerism is on the rise in the United States, according to a study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The study found that more than 63 million people volunteered in 2003, up from the previous year by 4 million people.