President Obama Calls on Americans to Serve on MLK Day

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sunday, January 17, 2010

CONTACT: Ashley Etienne Phone: 202-606-6944 Email: aetienne@cns.gov

President Obama Calls on Americans to Serve on MLK Day

President, First Lady to Serve Monday in Honor of Dr. King

Washington, DC—President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will join hundreds of thousands of Americans across the country in honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by participating in a volunteer service project on the King Holiday, the White House announced.

In a proclamation marking the federal holiday, President Obama acknowledged that Dr. King’s work “remains unfinished” and called on all Americans to serve on King Day and throughout the year. “Recognizing that our Nation has yet to reach Dr. King’s promised land is not an admission of defeat, but a call to action. In these challenging times, too many Americans face limited opportunities, but our capacity to support each other remains limitless.” Click here to read the complete proclamation.

The Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency that has led the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service since 1994, anticipates strong turnout across the country, with more than 10,000 service projects planned in all 50 states that will address a multitude of pressing social issues from poverty to hunger and the dropout crisis.

Thousands of nonprofit, faith-based, educational, and national service groups have organized projects on the day, including weatherizing homes, beautifying schools, serving meals, and providing employment counseling. This year’s effort has been boosted by the support of major U.S. companies and outreach efforts by high profile entertainers and elected officials serving as MLK Day of Service Ambassadors.

On Monday, volunteers and project leaders will be posting videos, blog messages, tweets, and photos in real-time throughout the day that capture volunteer activities in communities throughout the country. To track what is happening at service sites and find local volunteer opportunities, visit Serve.gov.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service:

In 1994, Congress passed legislation encouraging Americans to observe the King Holiday as a national day of service that brings together people from different backgrounds to meet needs in their community. The Corporation for National and Community Service was designated as the lead federal agency to execute the King Day of Service. The King Day of Service provides Americans the opportunity to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. King through service to meet local and national needs. For more information, visit Serve.gov or MLKDay.gov.

The Corporation for National and Community Service:

The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service each year through its core programs, Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America, and leads President Obama’s national call to service initiative, United We Serve. For more information about the Corporation, visit NationalService.gov.

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FEMA Encourages Volunteerism Through Citizen Corps

(Release Date: January 16, 2010; Release Number: FNF-10-001)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On January 18, Americans will volunteer in a Day of Service to honor Martin Luther King, Jr., transforming the federal holiday into a national day of volunteerism where people of all ages and backgrounds can come together to strengthen their community. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) encourages volunteerism and civic engagement for all-hazards emergency preparedness and resilience through its Citizen Corps program. This year, Citizen Corps Councils across the country have organized Day of Service volunteer preparedness activities such as assembling emergency preparedness kits to be delivered to the homebound, replenishing supplies at local food pantries, conducting health fairs with influenza prevention outreach and hosting emergency preparedness education classes.

FEMA’s Citizen Corps is the grassroots community preparedness and resilience movement that asks everyone in America to be an active participant in making themselves and their communities safer, stronger and better prepared to handle any emergency situation. Over 2,400 local communities nationwide have created Citizen Corps Councils to strengthen collaboration between government and civic leaders and to educate, train and involve the public in all-hazards emergency preparedness.

For more information about FEMA and Citizen Corps, visit http://www.fema.gov/ and http://www.citizencorps.gov/index.shtm. To learn more about the 2010 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, visit www.mlkday.gov.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Click here to learn how disaster volunteers can help survivors in Haiti through donations and volunteering.

Sincerely,

The National Office of Citizen Corps
FEMA Community Preparedness Division