January 5, 2006 Issue                                               

©2005 The Chestnut Hill Local

Volunteers, projects sought for 11th annual Martin Luther King Day of Service

Fifty thousand volunteers and hundreds of projects are being sought for the 11th annual Martin Luther King Day of Service, to be held on the Jan. 16 King federal holiday.

“Dr. King will always be remembered for leading the nonviolent movement, which toppled legal segregation and won voting rights for African Americans,” said Todd Bernstein, director and founder of the Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service. “But his legacy is found not only in civil rights, but also in civic responsibility and uniting people of all backgrounds to turn community concerns into citizen action.”

The King Day of Service celebrates Dr. King’s legacy by transforming the holiday from a day off into a day on for volunteers throughout the Greater Philadelphia region, across the Commonwealth and across the nation.

Signed into law by President Clinton in 1994, the King Holiday and Service Act serves as a symbolic call on American to join together in active service to honor Dr. King’s legacy of citizen action. Last January’s Greater Philadelphia King Day of Service was the largest King Day event in the nation, with some 45,000 volunteers participating in 600 service projects.

This year, with support and encouragement from PennSERVE — the Governor’s Office of Citizen Service — King Day service projects are taking place across the Commonwealth.

Organizations are invited to host service projects on Jan. 16. Examples of projects include starting a mentoring program, renovating houses, painting schools, recreation and community centers, creating a safe corridors anti-violence program, preparing and distributing food at homeless shelters, delivering meals to homebound seniors, reading with children, organizing a health fair or a legal clinic and performing a play about Dr. King and the Civil Rights movement.

Anyone or group interested in volunteering in or hosting a King Day of Service project should call 215-665-2475 or go online at www.mlkdayofservice.org. All organizations or groups already planning to participate are encouraged to contact the King Day of Service headquarters to register their project. All registered participants will receive a free King Day of Service T-shirt.

The Martin Luther King Day of Service is organized by the Citizenship Project, the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, and PennSERVE: The Governor’s office of Citizen Service.

Co-chairs of the event are Sen. Harris Wofford, co-founder of the National King Day of Service; Stephen Steinour, chairman and CEO of Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania; Alba Martinez, president and CEO of the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania; Bishop Ernest Morris, president of the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity; former Gov. Mark Schweiker, president and CEO of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, Beryl Simonson, chair of the Greater Philadelphia Jewish Federation; Paul Vallas, CEO of the School District of Philadelphia; Nelson Diaz, former City Solicitor of Philadelphia; J. Whyatt Mondesire, president of the Philadelphia NAACP; Ida Chen, judge in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas; Sylvester Johnson, Philadelphia Police Commissioner; and Tom Foley, CEO of the American Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania. Gov. Ed Rendell and Mayor John F. Street serve as honorary chairs.

The 11th Annual Martin Luther King Day of Service is sponsored by Citizens Bank, Prudential Fox Roach Realtors, the Citizenship Project, United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, PennSERVE, William Penn Foundation, Wachovia, Comcast Foundation, Sunoco, Western Union, Annie E. Casey Foundation, PNC Bank, Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition, School District of Philadelphia, Corporation for National and Community Service, Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, Philadelphia NAACP, Al-Aqsa Islamic Society, Philadelphia Coca Cola, Sneaker Villa, Verizon, FedEx Kinko’s, PECO Energy, Weblinc, Wolf Block Schorr & Solis Cohen, Saul Ewing LLP, StoneMedia, Independence Blue Cross, Public Financial Management, Blank Rome LLP, Vanguard Group, the Philadelphia Housing Authority, GlaxoSmithKline, Pleasant New/Relay Stores, National Constitution Center, City Year, the Institute for the Study of Civic Values and the Ogontz Avenue Redevelopment Corporation.