"It's like a job. You have goals. You see results" -Yuriy, Experience Corps Member

Virginia Ganzon Sturwold Photo: Janet Oh

WASHINGTON, May 12, 2006 – Experience Corps member Virginia Ganzon Sturwold received the President's Volunteer Service Award – "the highest honor given in recognition of those who have contributed their time and their talents to those in need" – from President George W. Bush today, as part of the White House celebration of Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month.

Sturwold, a retired teacher and editor, has a survivor's instinct and determination. Born in the Phillipines, she lived through the Bataan Death March, breast cancer, and domestic violence. Despite, or perhaps because of these challenges, her sense of humor, positive outlook, and strong desire to help others in similar situations have spurred her toward a lifelong pursuit of volunteer work and service.

For the past six years, Sturwold has been a member of Experience Corps, coming to Francis Scott Key Elementary School in San Francisco twice each week to work one-on-one with children struggling to learn to read. She's put in more than 500 hours of tutoring, reaching out especially to those children who speak Tagalog to make them feel welcome.

Tapping her creative side, Sturwold, a native of the Phillipines, also teaches knitting to boys and girls after school. More than a scarf-making endeavor, the activity contributes to a safe environment, confidence, and a mentoring relationship that studies show is key to student success.

"Success to me isn't just helping the children learn to read at grade level," Sturwold says. "Success is also nurturing the students' eagerness to come to school and seeing them excited about learning for the first time."

Outside the school setting, Sturwold has a long history of volunteer service with the American Cancer Society and with organizations that help battered women.

At the White House ceremony, Sturwold was clearly awed and a bit overwhelmed by the attention. She met the President along with Labor Secretary Elaine Choa and Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta, was escorted by military personnel in dress uniform, enjoyed a State Dining Room reception, saw much of the White House, and watched the President's helicopter take off – with the President and First Lady on board – from the White House lawn. "I'm in seventh heaven," she said.

In presenting the President's Volunteer Service award, Bush told Sturwold and four others selected for the honor that they "have served our nation in distinct ways and in so doing have made America a better place to live."

Experience Corps® offers new adventures in service for Americans over 55. Now in 14 cities, including San Francisco and Oakland, Experience Corps works to solve serious social problems, beginning with literacy. Today more than 1,800 Corps members serve as tutors and mentors to children in urban public schools and after-school programs, where they help teach children to read and develop the confidence and skills to succeed in school and in life. Research shows that Experience Corps boosts student academic performance, helps schools and youth-serving organizations become more successful, strengthens ties between these institutions and surrounding neighborhoods, and enhances the well-being of the volunteers in the process. Experience Corps is a signature program of Civic Ventures.

Experience Corps in San Francisco and Oakland is hosted by the Sunset Neighborhood Beacon Center.

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