Philadelphia, PA. – President-elect Barack Obama is calling on Americans across the nation to volunteer in the January 19 Martin Luther King Day of Service. The upcoming Martin Luther King Day falls on the day before Obama’s historic inauguration. The President-elect will celebrate King Day along with Vice-President Joe Biden and their families by volunteering in a service project in Washington, D.C. and will be calling on all Americans to join him in ongoing active citzenship. “I will ask for your service and your active citizenship when I am president of the United States,” Obama said.

In the Philadelphia area, more than 60,000 volunteers and hundreds of projects are being sought for the 14th Annual Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service. The Martin Luther King Day of Service celebrates Dr. King’s legacy by transforming the holiday from a day off into a day ON. Individuals and organizations are planning area projects across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.

“Dr. King’s legacy can be found in civil rights, civic responsibility, and uniting people of all backgrounds to turn community concerns into citizen action,” said Todd Bernstein, president of Global Citizen and director and founder of the Greater Philadelphia King Day of Service.

Global Citizen, the non-profit organization that leads the Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service, is launching MLK 365. This new initiative expands the King Day of Service into a year-round program that promotes sustainable civic engagement and volunteer opportunities.

Signed into law by President Clinton in 1994, the King Holiday and Service Act calls on Americans to honor Dr. King’s legacy by volunteering. Last January’s Greater Philadelphia King Day of Service was the largest King Day event in the nation, with some 60,000 volunteers participating in nearly 600 service projects across the region.

Organizations are invited to host service projects on January 19. Examples include starting a mentoring program, renovating and weatherizing houses, organizing after school programs, beautifying schools and recreation centers, creating safe corridors programs, participating in anti-violence initiatives, preparing and distributing food at homeless shelters, delivering meals to homebound seniors, reading with children about Dr. King, organizing health fairs and legal clinics and performing plays about Dr. King and the Civil Rights movement.

Any individual, family or group interested in volunteering or hosting a January 19 King Day of Service project should call 215-665-2475 or register online at www.mlkdayofservice.org. All organizations already planning to participate should contact the King Day of Service headquarters to register their project. Registered participants will receive a King Day of Service T-shirt. Following each project, discussion and reflection will take place focusing on the legacy of Dr. King and the importance of serving others.

The Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service is a program of Global Citizen and the Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition.

The 2009 King Day of Service is co-chaired by Senator Harris Wofford, Jill Michal, president and chief executive officer of the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Jayson Sutton, group assets protection team leader of Target, Sharmain Matock-Turner, president of the Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition, Reverend Ellis Washington, president of the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity, Leonard Barrack, board chair of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, Charles Ramsey, commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department, Reverend Bonnie Camarda, president of Hispanic Clergy of Philadelphia, the Honorable Ida Chen, judge of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, Lloyd Ayers, commissioner of the Philadelphia Fire Department, Tom Foley, chief executive officer of the American Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Governor Mark Schweiker, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Congress, Judge Nelson Diaz, former Philadelphia City Solicitor and Ann Weaver Hart, president of Temple University. Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter serve as our honorary co-chairs.

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