Brandon McArthur, the UF baseball player who has overcome numerous obstacles during his career, has been awarded the President's Volunteer Service Award from President George W. Bush's Council on
Service and Participation. The award recognizes McArthur's contributions to the Gainesville community.

A native of Tampa, McArthur lends his time and support to a variety of charitable causes. He was named to the 2008 SEC Baseball Community Service Team that highlights an athlete from each school who gives back to his community in superior service efforts. 

McArthur has been a representative on Florida's Student-Athlete Committee (SAC) and is a frequent speaker at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes' meetings. He often visits the pediatric care unit at Shands Hospital (where he was a patient recovering from life-threatening injuries after he was attacked during his freshman season) and has participated in wheel-chair basketball with Special Olympians. McArthur spoke at "Youth Quake," an organization that provides alternative Christian entertainment that confronts issues relevant to today's teenagers and has given speeches at Gainesville middle schools about the importance of doing well in school. In addition, he is a member of the Big Brothers' organization in which he often brings children to practice and allows them to interact with fellow Gator baseball players.