Washington DC -- President Bush marked the Martin Luther King Jr. King holiday by volunteering and calling on Americans to honor his legacy by showing compassion on the holiday and throughout the year.

The President and First Lady Laura Bush joined dozens of volunteers at the Martin Luther King Jr. library as they repaired and shelved books and taught lessons about King’s life to children. More than a half million Americans are serving in 5,000 King Day of Service projects across the country.

“They say Martin Luther King Day is not a day off, it should be a day on,” said the President. “But a day on should be not just one day. It really ought to be every day. And our fellow citizens have got to understand that by loving a neighbor like you'd like to be loved yourself, by reaching out to someone who hurts, by just simply living a life of kindness and compassion, you can make America a better place and fulfill the dream of Martin Luther King.”

Every year more and more Americans are observing the King Holiday by volunteering in their communities. Participation has grown each year since 1994, when Congress passed legislation encouraging the holiday to be observed as a national day of service. This year more than 1,700 groups have organized projects in all 50 states ranging from renovating schools and senior centers to delivering meals and building homes.

“Forty years after his voice went silent, Dr. King is still calling us to serve, and Americans are answering that call in a historic way,” said David Eisner, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency charged with making the Holiday a national day of service. “We need more people working side by side, with idealism and passion, to realize Dr. King’s dream of a better America.”

Eisner said the King Holiday is a perfect time to make a year-round commitment to service by becoming a mentor or tutor to a youth in need. It also is a time to focus on King’s message of nonviolence. A number of organizations are using the holiday to kick off 40 days of nonviolence and service with projects including gang summits in Los Angeles and Oklahoma City, pledge drives for youth and inmates to avoid violence, recruitment of neighborhood watch groups, and more.

The President was joined by Washington D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, who was one of 15,000 volunteers in 130 service projects facilitated by Serve DC, with projects ranging from cleanup of the nation’s largest homeless shelter and school renovation projects to restoration of Pope Branch Park and a special Habitat for Humanity build day.

“We can best honor Dr. King’s legacy of citizen action by working together to improve our communities,” said Fenty. “Forty years after Dr. King’s death we can still use opportunities like today to help fulfill his dream.

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The mission of the Corporation for National and Community Service is to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering. The Corporation provides opportunities for more than 2 million Americans of all ages and backgrounds to serve through Senior Corps, AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America. For more information, go to http://www.nationalservice.gov.

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