10,000 and Counting for MLK Day…

HOPE worldwide volunteers across the country will be enjoying a day on, not a day off

Wayne, PA – “Life’s most persistent question,” Dr. King once asked, “is ‘what are you doing for others?’” This Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend, more than 10,000 HOPE worldwide volunteers are teaming up with the American Red Cross, along with various other corporations and community partners throughout the United States, to take a day on, not a day off. Volunteers have pledged to serve and meet needs of community members at 95 sites across the country. HOPE worldwide anticipates 10,000 of its volunteers serving more than 25,000 volunteer hours, impacting over 120,000 people through this one national day of service.

Volunteers are planning projects including:

A featured service program for the third consecutive year will be a Fire Preparedness Outreach program in partnership with the American Red Cross
community clean-ups
mural paintings
school and community center renovations
programs for children in foster care
home rehabbing for elderly men and women
and many more

More than 40 Chapters of HOPE worldwide will be canvassing in low income, fire vulnerable neighborhoods alongside Red Cross volunteers, engaging in conversations about fire safety and emergency planning, and installing new smoke detectors for families who need them.

Service projects will begin this upcoming weekend in honor of the January 18 holiday and will continue for some Chapters through the weekend following MLK Day. Since 1994, when Congress passed the King Holiday and Service Act, cities across the country have benefited from individuals’ marking the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday by taking a day to volunteer, and HOPE worldwide is stepping up to be part of this great day once again.

To learn more about what HOPE worldwide is doing this MLK Day of Service, visit www.hopeww.org.

For more information about the National Day of Service, please visit www.mlkday.gov.

HOPE worldwide is encouraging every Chapter to take advantage of the “Give a Day. Get a Disney Day.” program this MLK Day. This program provides opportunities for HOPE worldwide volunteers to receive a free pass to a Disney Park during 2010 for giving a day of service. If you have questions about HOPE worldwide’s involvement with the “Give a Day. Get a Disney Day.” program, please contact Jaclyn_Morris@hopeww.org.

Visit us at www.HOPEww.org to learn more about all of HOPE worldwide’s programs and see how you can be a part of global change to bring hope to some of the world’s most needy.