On Saturday, the weekend leading up to Martin Luther King Day, January 19, 2013, Service For Peace (SFP) will lead hundreds of local volunteers as part of a nationwide initiative designed to celebrate Dr. King’s legacy of public service. In January 2009, President Obama, Vice President Biden, and their families joined millions of Americans in service on King Day. The President is calling for a national day of service to take place on Martin Luther King holiday and asks Americans to make an ongoing commitment to service in their communities. This momentous task will be demonstrated in Stamford with teams of volunteers working at the Shelter for the Homeless, other local community organizaitons, New Covenant House of Hospitality, The Smith House, several Senior resident living facilities, The Pacific House Men’s shelter and Inspirica women’s shelter just to name a few.
Guest speakers will be joining this annual event in Stamford. The highlight of this celebration is local songstress Rain Rapheal will perform during the opening ceremony, motivational speakers from Driven 2 Inspire LLC, two local adult poets, and four students from local public schools will be chosen to recite their poetry inspired by Peace and Dr. Kings legacy, and we are honored that Senator Carlo Leone will be presenting local veterans with acknowledgement and tokens of appreciation awards.
The entire event is FREE and open to children and families of all ages. It takes place at Trailblazers Academy Middle School, 83 Lockwood Avenue, Stamford, CT from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm on Saturday, January 19, 2013 in honor of MLK Day.
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“The holiday is a time to remember Dr. King’s commitment to making our nation better,” said Charles Phillips, the President of SFP. “Dr. King helped move our nation to a higher plateau when he led the civil rights movement. His legacy is found not only in civil rights, however, but also in civic responsibility and uniting people of all backgrounds to act on community concerns.”
Participation in MLK Day of Service activities has grown steadily each year since Congress passed the King Holiday and Service Act in 1994, calling on Americans to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of citizen action. Increasingly, the holiday is recognized as “a day ON, not a day OFF” for Americans volunteering in their communities. The movement has expanded to an additional 47 cities in 26 states, engaging 154,771 volunteers, creating more opportunities for citizen participation.
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The day’s activities begin at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 19th in the gymnasium at Trailblazers Academy with registration, orientation, and refreshments. FREE t-shirts will be distributed to all volunteers. Lunch will be provided, and disbursement for Community service projects will begin at 1:00 pm (transportation will be provided to and from all project sites) and will take place throughout Stamford, ending at 3:00 pm. At that time volunteers will gather back at Trailblazers Academy Gymnasium for a time of personal reflections, a birthday celebration and the closing ceremony. There will be a videographer, face painting, free raffles for special prizes and other fun activities at the end of the day.
Volunteers are still being accepted for the annual Martin Luther King Day of Service whose theme this year is “Communities of Peace – Connecting People to Peace through Service.” Volunteers and their families are invited to register by logging onto www.mlkchallenge.org (click on Service For Peace, Stamford, CT logo) and/or by emailing twilliams@serviceforpeace.org.
