Renew America Together

"We are one people; we are one nation; and together, we will begin the next great chapter in America's story." --Barack Obama

I am wondering how many other people know that Congress voted in 1994 to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day a national day of service? I did not know that until about 3 minutes ago. For information about the day, including resources, go to www.MLKDay.gov.

I heard about this because General Colin Powell, honorary co-chair of the Presidential Inaugural Committee, has been promoting "Renew America Together," a volunteering initiative of the committee. Click here to read the press release. President-elect Obama and his family, and Vice-President-elect Biden and his family will participate in events around DC.

The inaugural committee has launched a website for organizations nationwide to post their volunteer opportunities over the inauguration weekend. Visit www.usaservice.org to learn more about this program.

For projects in the Charlotte area, you can go directly to this page, which lists all events within 25 miles of Charlotte. USA Service provides information, sign-up pages, and further details on its page, or click on the names of the groups for general information about the organization. They include: donating to Goodwill, cleaning and organizing Samaritan House, learning how to become more energy-aware with the ReCharge American Energy Savings Team, and distributing food boxes to 400 needy families through Feed the Children and Northside Baptist Church.

To Do: Make your day off a day ON. Renew America together.