On Monday, January 21, Barack Obama and Joe Biden will be sworn in as President and Vice President of the United States. (The official swearing in will take place on the 20th as required by the Constitution. However, since it is a Sunday, the public event will take place on Monday.) The day will involve a ceremony on the steps of the Capitol, a luncheon in the Capital, a parade down Pennsylvania Avenue, and, of course, the Inaugural Balls.

But there is another important part of the Inauguration celebration. One that says so much about our President and about our country. As he did in 2009, President Obama has declared Saturday, January 19 as a National Day of Service. Millions of Americans across the country will volunteer in their communities to do something tangible to make our country a little bit better.

Members of our Embassy community here in Ottawa and in the seven Consulates across Canada want to do our part as well. So we are volunteering in our communities here in Canada. Volunteers from the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa will be sorting food and making packages at the Ottawa Food Bank. Volunteers from Consulate General Vancouver will do likewise for the Vancouver Food Bank. Consulate General Toronto is organizing a blood donation drive. Our Consul General’s family in Québec City has been serving meals to the homeless and helping the Québec City Women’s Club raise funds for scholarships for women returning to university. Consulate General Montreal will devote time to help the Omega Community Resources Agency, a local mental health center. Consulate General Halifax is collecting books for a Nova Scotia library that was broken into and had their new book fund stolen.

I encourage all American citizens living in Canada (there are more than a million of us) – and any of our Canadian friends who want to join us – to volunteer in your communities. Find an organization that needs help. Visit a lonely neighbor. Shovel the sidewalk of a senior citizen who has trouble doing it on his or her own. Do something to make your community just a little bit better.

I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the peaceful passage of power in the United States of America.

DJ