10:52 A.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: This has been my honor to be here. One of the things that Mrs. King wanted was for MLK Day to be a day of service. It is not a day off, but it's a day on. And so I'm here at Cardozo High School to thank the hundreds of people who have showed up to serve the country by volunteering.

And right here in the library were with a group of folks who are sending post cards to folks who have been affected by Katrina, cards of hope, an opportunity for a citizen here to say to somebody in the New Orleans area, we care about you, people are thinking about you -- and all in the hopes of lifting somebody's spirit.

And so I not only want to thank the folks involved in this project, and thank the Attorney General for volunteering, but I encourage people all around the country to seize any opportunity they can to help somebody in need. And by helping somebody in need, you're honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King. And by helping somebody in need, you're really helping yourself because you're lifting your soul.

And so I want to thank the principal of this fine high school; I want to thank the organizers of the event; and I want to thank the volunteers, young and old, for setting aside time to make somebody else's life better.

Thank you all for coming. (Applause.)

END 10:55 A.M. EST

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Click here to read the press release from the 2007 MLK Day of Service.