Pennsylvanians Urged to Participate in Jan. 19 Day of Service

HARRISBURG, Pa., Jan. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Department of Labor & Industry acting Secretary Sandi Vito today urged Pennsylvanians to join the tens of thousands of volunteers participating in an array of community service projects on Jan. 19 as part of the national Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.

"There is no better way to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Dr. King's birth than by continuing his work and honoring his rich legacy of community service," said Vito. "These projects break down social and economic barriers by involving people of all races, ages and all walks of life. They bring direct aid to our communities and to fellow Pennsylvanians in need."

Many of the volunteers are AmeriCorps members from programs administered by PennSERVE: the Governor's Office of Citizen Service. Some AmeriCorps programs, such as the SecureCorps in York and Keystone SMILES AmeriCorps program in Knox, Clarion County, will partner with local United Way agencies to weatherize homes as part of Governor Rendell's "Turn Down, Seal Off, Save Up" initiative. Volunteers provide basic home weatherization through caulking, weather-stripping and window insulation kits.

"Pennsylvania has more young people than ever before involved with the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service," said Vito. "There are many ways for everyone to help. I urge all Pennsylvanians to seek out service projects and make volunteering a part of their lives, on this day and every day."

Through the Scholars in Service to Pennsylvania Program administered by PennSERVE, students from more than 40 colleges and universities will help their communities in a variety of settings such as schools, day care facilities, early learning and community centers, nursing homes, shelters and food banks.

Other AmeriCorps programs will work with local agencies in hundreds of projects aimed at meeting specific community needs, such as helping at local food banks and meal programs, collecting eyeglasses and bus passes for the needy and working hand-in-hand with Habitat for Humanity and day care centers.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service was started by former Pennsylvania U.S. Senator Harris Wofford and Georgia Congressman John Lewis, who co-authored the King Holiday and Service Act. To register as a volunteer, or for information about all Martin Luther King Day of Service activities, go to www.MLKDay.org. For more information about PennSERVE and AmeriCorps programs in Pennsylvania go to www.pennserve.state.pa.us.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Some activities taking place statewide as part of Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service include:

Allegheny County

In Braddock, AmeriCorps members from the Allegheny County Department of Human Services KEYS Corps will conduct a 10 a.m. youth workshop at the Elks Lodge, 424 Library St. Later, KEYS Corps members will join community volunteers in home weatherization, a tire recycling project, painting rooms in the historic Braddock Carnegie Library, building community picnic tables and assembling water filters to be sent to Africa and Brazil.

Berks County

Across Berks County, some 200 Kutztown University students will participate in park cleanup and indoor painting projects, help at food pantries, organize artifacts at the Reading Area Firefighters Museum (501 S. 5th St, Reading) and join the MLK Day Read-In with Olivets Boys and Girls Club taking place at Reading Area Community College, 10 S. 2nd St., Reading.

Butler, Lawrence, Mercer counties

Slippery Rock University's Connector Corps AmeriCorps members will host children's penny carnivals from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at six sites in Slippery Rock, New Castle and Grove City. In their fourth year, the carnivals invite local children to play penny games, with the money raised going to families who need assistance paying energy bills. The penny carnivals will tale place at the Grove City YMCA (543 East Main St. Ext.) and at the McKay Education Building at Slippery Rock University Campus. In New Castle the penny carnivals will take place at the Gussie Walker Center (1207 Moravia St.), New Castle YMCA (20 W. Washington St.), Croton United Methodist Church (910 N. Croton Ave.), and the Ben Franklin Early Learning Center (815 Cunningham Ave.).

Chester County

West Chester University students will make fleece blankets for children at A.I. DuPont Children's Hospital (1600 Rockland Ave., Wilmington, DE) and Brandywine Hall Center Nursing Home (800 W. Miner St., West Chester).

Luzerne, Lackawanna, Susquehanna, Wyoming counties

In Wilkes-Barre, Scholars in Service to Pennsylvania members will join community volunteers at the Weinberg Northeast Regional Food Bank (165 Amber Lane), which serves Luzerne, Lackawanna, Susquehanna and Wyoming counties, and is part of Feeding America, the nation's largest charitable hunger-relief organization.

Lycoming County

In Williamsport, Community Connect AmeriCorps members will participate in the city's first Community Alliance Peace Walk. Starting at the foot of the Market Street Bridge, the walk will commemorate the town's role in the Underground Railroad.

Greater Philadelphia Area

In Philadelphia, which has hosted the largest Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service mobilization in the country since 1996, more than 60,000 volunteers will work on hundreds of community service projects. Global Citizen, the nonprofit organization that leads the Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service, will launch MLK 365, a new initiative that expands the Day of Service into a year-round program. Any individual, family or group interested in volunteering, or hosting a service project, in the Philadelphia area can call 215-665-2475 or register online at www.mlkdayofservice.org.

Keystone SMILES AmeriCorps members will travel to Philadelphia from Knox, Clarion County, for the fourth annual West Meets East service project in the city's Germantown section. The project began Jan. 15, renovating three children's centers. It will culminate at Temple University on Jan. 19 by involving youth in the Turn Down/Seal Off/Save Up initiative.

Union, Snyder counties

In Milton, the Union-Snyder Community Action Agency's CORE Susquehanna AmeriCorps program will assist the Hand Up Foundation, a local social services agency, which provides recycling opportunities, a thrift store and other services to the community.

    CONTACT: David Smith
    (717) 787-7530

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry