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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Saturday, January 17, 2009 |
CONTACT: Siobhan Dugan |
President-elect Barack Obama has called on American citizens to participate in volunteer service on the Martin Luther King National Day of Service on Monday, and thousands of Washington, D. C., residents are responding to that request. About 15,000 volunteers are expected to converge on RFK Stadium to assemble 75,000 care packages for troops deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. That’s just one of dozens of projects taking place on the annual day of service, which is expected to be the largest event since it was established by Congress in 1994. Across the country, more than 11,400 projects, ranging from food collections to refurbishing schools to training tutors, have been organized, with millions of people expected to answer the call to service. At RFK, doors will open at 10 a.m. Volunteers will gather in a large heated tent to fill care packages with items provided by Target, the event sponsor. “Washington, DC is not only the seat of government but it’s also a place where people aspire to serve their country,” Mary Adrian Fenty said in a statement. “It is an honor and a privilege to bring together volunteers from across the nation to serve our troops while commemorating the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In making these care packages, we celebrate the spirit of public service, and remind those who have sacrificed the most that they are in our thoughts and in our hearts.” Other projects scheduled include:
For more information on service projects in the Washington area, visit www.serve.dc.gov, www.mlkday.gov, or www.usaservice.org.
Congress established The King Holiday as a national day of service in 1994. The effort is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, which improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. Each year, the Corporation provides opportunities for four million Americans of all ages and backgrounds to serve their communities and country through Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America. For more information, go to http://www.nationalservice.gov. ### |
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VIEWED ON: Friday, May 08, 2009 | |
URL: http://www.nationalservice.gov/about/newsroom/releases_detail.asp?tbl_pr_id=1207 |
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