Co-convened by the Corporation for National and Community Service and the Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network, the 2002 conference will feature Laura Bush at the closing plenary, Tuesday, June 11. Other plenary speakers include John Bridgeland, assistant to the President and director of the Office of U.S.A. Freedom Corps, and Margaret Wheatley, president of The Berkana Institute.

Award recipients include Utah Lieutenant Governor Olene Walker, who will receive the Community Leadership Award on Sunday, June 9; Utahn Pamela Atkinson, a homeless and low-income advocate, as the Daily Point of Light for June 10; and the Romney Leadership Award to the Osmond family on Wednesday. Marie Osmond will accept the award on behalf of the family. The Osmond Brothers will be featured in concert on Sunday evening.

"We are delighted to be in Salt Lake City where residents exemplify civic pride and responsibility, evidenced by the over 30,000 volunteer hours recorded so far this year," said Robert K. Goodwin, president and chief executive officer of the Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network. "This forum is an incomparable opportunity to spotlight the myriad of opportunities available to help America's address President Bush's challenge to complete 4,000 hours of service during their lifetime, and the important role that volunteering and community service play in helping our nation to heal and solve serious social problems.

"Through service to others, we can fight evil with good and renew our nation's tradition of responsible citizenship," said Leslie Lenkowsky, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. "President Bush has asked Americans to dedicate two years of service to their nation, in order to build a culture of citizenship, service, and responsibility. This gathering in Utah, the first since the President's call, will rally the armies of compassion to achieve higher levels of success in meeting the needs of our nation."

More than 3,000 representatives from Volunteer Centers, corporations, nonprofits, state service commissions and AmeriCorps, Senior Corps and Learn and Serve America programs will attend the three-day event. Attendees will participate in 90-minute workshops and three-hour in-depth training seminars organized by levels of experience - introductory, intermediate and advanced. The more than 250 sessions are intended to increase participants' insight and knowledge on how to effectively engage volunteers to help solve social problems, strengthen communities and create a culture of caring.

The sessions will cover topics such as family volunteering, intergenerational volunteer programs, engaging persons with disabilities, effective programmatic structures, working with youth, corporate social responsibility, fundraising, evaluation, media outreach and marketing awareness campaigns.

The National Conference is made possible by a number of sponsors including UPS Foundation as The Leadership Partner. Other major sponsors are 3M, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Ford Motor Company Fund, Hyperion, Ronald McDonald Children's Charities, Verizon, Walt Disney Company, Wyeth, Children's Miracle Network, Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints Foundation, Daniels Fund, KPMG, O.C. Tanner Company, Pitney Bowes, Prudential Insurance Company of America, Shell Oil Company, Swire Coca-Cola, Aid Association for Lutherans/Lutheran Brotherhood, AT&T; Foundation, Automated Graphic Systems, The Annie E. Casey Foundation, Lillian and James Haversat, Join Hands Day, Sears, Roebuck & Co., United Airlines and VolunteerGifts.com.

The Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network, a nonpartisan and nonprofit organization, supports and organizes the vital work of community volunteers who help solve our nation's most serious social problems by bringing people and resources together. The Foundation builds knowledge, skills and programs for volunteers to succeed, and provides leadership to mobilize volunteers in thousands of local communities across the country. To get involved with volunteer activities near you call 1-800-VOLUNTEER or visit www.1800volunteer.org.

The Corporation for National and Community Service was established in 1993 to engage Americans of all ages and backgrounds in service to their communities. The Corporation oversees AmeriCorps, Learn and Serve America and Senior Corps, engaging more than two million Americans in service to their communities and country each year. For more information, call 1-202-606-5000 or visit www.nationalservice.org.