Merriam, 15, and his parents Angel and Fred met Bush at Raleigh-Durham International Airport to receive the award. “I am very excited,” Marriam said of meeting the president. “My parents are freaking out. They said, ‘Aren’t you nervous?’ I said ‘No.’ They are truly excited.”

Marriam and his cousin, Shelby McKnew of Maryland, founded Nickelby Project to give hope to other children and their families who may be battling fatal illnesses. Marriam hands out gift bags to the sick children at hospitals. Nickelby Project hosts fund-raising events and offers student scholarships.

“We are now doing state-to-state in 2008,” said Marriam. “We will send something to a hospital in every state.”

The award recognizes individuals, families and groups that have achieved a certain standard measured by the number of hours served over a 12-month period or cumulative hours earned over the course of a lifetime. So far, more than 400,000 awards have been passed out to volunteers across the nation.