President-Elect Obama’s Call to Serve: An Opportunity for All
Posted by Susan Harrell on January 15, 2009
President-Elect Barack Obama and Michelle Obama have announced that they will be spending Martin Luther King’s Birthday serving their new community of Washington D.C.
They have asked everyone throughout the nation to join them in a commitment to service on January 19th, and in a commitment to make it last, to continue this service beyond one day.
This offers everyone an opportunity to become involved by volunteering in their local community, or by hosting a service opportunity. I can think of several ways to take advantage of this remarkable invitation. Certainly this provides the opportunity for individuals with disabilities (and agency staff) to contribute to their communities, learning, sharing, building skills, and building a network of connections. It is also an opportunity to ask community members to help with your efforts by serving in a variety of ways: on individual planning teams, in providing advice about the job market and connections to community employers, in inviting job seekers to come to work with them to see what particular work environments and jobs are like.
I look forward to hearing your ideas about ways to serve, and ways to invite the community to serve in your efforts. Please share your creative ideas. This a new, exciting era: A time of great change, and a time of great opportunity.
Michelle Obama’s message about this:
One week from today, on January 19th, Barack and I will join thousands of people all across the country for an extraordinary day of service.
I recorded a short video to tell you more about this important effort. Please take a minute to watch it and sign up to host or attend a service event near you.
Volunteers of all ages and backgrounds are committing to renew America together, one community at a time.
Whatever service activity you organize or take part in — cleaning up a park, giving blood, volunteering at a homeless shelter, or mentoring an at-risk youth — you can help start this important journey. But this is about more than just a single day of service, it’s the beginning of an ongoing commitment to your community.
Go to www.usaservice.org for more information.
