Reed Joins City Year RI to Promote Upcoming MLK Day of Service

Statement

In an effort to promote volunteerism during the 2011 MLK Day of Service, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) today visited Gilbert Stuart Middle School to meet with City Year corps members and help them prepare to take part in Monday's United We Serve, President Obama's national call to service initiative.

Monday, January 17th, 2011 marks the 25th anniversary of the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday and there will be opportunities for Rhode Islanders to volunteer throughout the state. To learn about volunteer opportunities in your neighborhood, visit: www.serverhodeisland.org.

"Community service and helping others is one of our core values as a nation. An ethic of service is one of our strengths. On Monday, Rhode Islanders all over the state and Americans across the country will participate in service projects that bring communities together, embodying Dr. King's dream and helping to make our state a better place," said Reed. "I commend the folks here at City Year whose contributions and work will live on long after their service in Rhode Island ends."

"Dr. King's life of service continues to inspire us all. Martin Luther King Day is about honoring Dr. King and one of the best ways to do that is through service to others. We are expecting a strong turnout of volunteers to help us make the annual Day of Service a day on, not a day off by lending a hand on several key projects that will benefit the community," said Jennie Johnson, Executive Director at City Year Rhode Island.

City Year Rhode Island is giving people a chance to help celebrate Dr. King's legacy through a day of service, performing a number of projects including:

* Constructing bookshelves and painting murals at Gilbert Stuart Middle School
* Painting murals at the West End Community Center
* Engaging senior citizens in fun activities at the Elmwood Adult Day Health Care Center
* Participating in a workshop about the meaning of Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Launched in 1993, City Year Rhode Island is one of 20 City Year sites in the United States. Every day, 50 young adults in the Rhode Island corps mobilize in teams to deliver high-impact in-school and out-of-school programming to children in need to keep them on the path to graduating high school. Over the years, more than 1,000 City Year corps members have provided over 2.5 million hours of service in Rhode Island.

The Corporation for National and Community Service leads the annual MLK Day of Service, working with the King Center in Atlanta and thousands of non-profit groups, faith-based organizations, and schools and businesses nationwide. Projects are taking place in all fifty states and include delivering meals, refurbishing schools and community centers, collecting food and clothing, signing up mentors, reading to children, promoting non-violence, and more.

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