By CNCS Staff

20th annual event expects to engage 135,000 volunteers

Officials leading the Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service announced plans today to engage 135,000 volunteers in the largest King Day event in the nation. This year’s event will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that outlawed racial discrimination at polling places.

The Greater Philadelphia King Day of Service will feature projects throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. Participants will include students of all ages from area schools and colleges; senior citizens; community, religious, civic and non-profit organizations; businesses; military veterans; AmeriCorps members; elected officials; and families.

Some of the Greater Philadelphia King Day of Service highlights will include:

• The fourth-annual Jobs and Opportunity Fair, presented by Target, Urban League of Philadelphia, I-Heart Radio, Comcast/NBC 10, and Global Citizen’s Mission365 program supporting military veterans. The fair expects to serve 500 prospective employees who will have access to 20 local employers and AmeriCorps national service programs.
• The Cecil B. Moore Philadelphia Freedom Fighters, the group of men and women who demonstrated in the 1960s for an end to the discriminatory admissions policies at Girard College, will lead a workshop to share their experiences in the civil rights movement. They will also mark the 50th anniversary of their protest movement when Dr. King joined them in 1965 for a rally at the front gates of Girard College.
• Thousands of students in the region are participating in the seventh-annual One King Day, One King Book project to encourage children to read, write, and discuss essays about Dr. King.
• The MLK365 Civic Engagement Expo that will provide information on the mission and work of dozens of local community organizations such as Global Citizen, HandsOn Network, Urban Affairs Coalition, and the Mayor’s Office of Civic Engagement and Volunteer Service and offer opportunities to volunteer with these groups throughout the year.
• The Philadelphia Fire Department is organizing neighborhood outreach projects on fire safety through all 63 of its fire stations.

Volunteers will also beautify more than 50 Philadelphia Parks and Recreation facilities, prepare food at homeless shelters and distribute meals to homebound seniors. In addition, the day will feature health fairs, legal clinics, and plays about Dr. King and his principles of nonviolent social change and racial equality.

Global Citizen organizes the Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service and its year-round MLK365 program, which promotes year-round volunteer service and civic engagement.