Communities Gearing Up for Massive Day of Service on King Holiday

Communities and nonprofits across the country are gearing up for a record number of volunteers on the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal holiday, fueled by President-elect Obama’s call for Americans to serve on King Day and throughout the year.

Organizers of the annual service day say momentum is building in the wake of the President-elect’s call and the timing of the holiday coming one day before the Inauguration. In addition to asking Americans to serve, President-elect Obama, Vice President-elect Biden, and their families will participate in service on the January 19 holiday in the Washington D.C. area.

The Presidential Inaugural Committee will launch a new website next week that makes it easy for Americans to find or organize volunteer opportunities. The Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that has led the national effort to transform the King Holiday into a national day of service since 1994, is working with the Presidential Inaugural Committee on the website and the larger effort.

“In this time of economic distress, Americans need to realize Dr. King’s dream of a better America. Service is a solution to some of our toughest challenges, and service is needed now more than ever,” said Nicola Goren, Acting CEO of the Corporation. “We are pleased to be working with the Presidential Inaugural Committee on this historic call to service. As Americans make their New Year’s resolutions, we hope volunteering will be at the top of the list, starting on the King Holiday and lasting throughout out the year.”

Let's make sure that the California Safe Corps program is out in full force during this day of service. If you haven't already, start planning your day of service with you fellow corps members in your region. Below are some tools to help:

• The Corporation has launched a Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service Fan page on Facebook and is working with Facebook and Facebook Causes to encourage users of the highly popular social networking site to volunteer or organize their own service projects to mark the King Holiday and Inauguration weekend.


• The King Day of Service website at http://www.mlkday.gov/ has a wealth of tools for planning and promoting projects, including new “do it yourself” action guides.