What President GW Bush is up to these days

Voice of America reports on what former President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush have been up to lately:

LUSAKA β€” Former President George W. Bush has kept a relatively low profile in the United States since leaving office. But in Africa this week he is publicly promoting his institute’s initiative to prevent and treat cervical cancer. While Bush is following a familiar post-presidential path in supporting humanitarian causes, he would prefer to focus on quiet service, to lead through example and hard work.

He worked alongside other volunteers in Kabwe – Zambia’s second-largest city – to renovate a health clinic which specializes in the early detection and treatment of cervical cancer.

β€œYou’re always the former president but I wanted to come here as a laborer…I do want to say that on this particular trip that myself and friends have left behind a clinic and hope to inspire others to come and refurbish clinics as well,” Bush said.

Bush is helping lead the fight against cervical cancer in his post-presidential years and has so far helped raise more than $85 million. But he is a reluctant public spokesman for the cause and says he would prefer to contribute outside the media spotlight.

β€œI hope you don’t see much of it because I don’t want to be in the news. In other words, I believe that quiet service is the best kind of service,” he said.

In Zambia, Bush and his wife Laura also visited an orphanage where many of the children were born with HIV. The children are alive today because of President Bush’s 2003 AIDS initiative in Africa that provided billions of dollars for retroviral drugs and treatment. It is an emotional tour full of hugs and picture taking.

β€œI believe freedom is important for peace and I believe one aspect of freedom is people to be free from disease. And so Laura and I are very much involved in this initiative,” Bush said.

As of yesterday, the Bushes were headed home from their week-long Africa trip.

Friday was also President Bush’s 66th birthday. It was Nancy Reagan’s birthday also. She turned 91.

Last month, the Bush Center announced that GWB would be hosting the second annual Warrior Open:

DALLAS, TX – The George W. Bush Presidential Center today opened applications for the second Warrior Open, a two-day golf tournament featuring members of the U.S. Armed Forces who served their country honorably and were severely wounded during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

The Warrior Open is a 36-hole competition at Las Colinas Country Club in the Dallas area on September 24-25, 2012. The tournament will honor all those who serve and sacrifice to defend the United States of America, and will herald the many organizations that give their time, talents and resources to support the men and women of our military and their families.

Applications for the tournament must be submitted via www.warrioropen.com by July 16, 2012. To qualify for the Warrior Open, applicants must:

Have been seriously injured in the war on terror;
Be active-duty, retired, or honorably discharged;
Have a verifiable Golf Handicap Index of 20 or less per USGA rules or Modified Temporary Handicap as listed below:

o Play five rounds at one course with another player willing to attest to the validity of the score.

o Provide the scorecard, signed by the applicant and other player, to the course professional at the end of each round.

o Course professional will be contacted by Bush Center staff to obtain scores.

Be able to provide either a valid and current Uniform Services Identification Card or separation form DD214; and

Be able to provide a Certificate of Diagnosis completed by a medical doctor.

Here’s video of Bush’s remarks on the first day of last year’s Warrior Open:

Thanks for the good work you and Mrs. Bush continue to do, Mr. President. And Happy Birthday :)

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