National Day of Service

A new era will be ushered in Tuesday with the inauguration of Barack Obama as our 44th president. Meanwhile, all across our country this weekend and Monday, we are celebrating one of America's true heroes, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

In honor of King and in response to President-elect Obama's call to service, hundreds of thousands of Americans, including more than 20,000 AFL-CIO union volunteers, are helping those in need. Projects range from giving out free meals to cleaning up blighted areas, distributing winter clothing and repairing dilapidated homes.

In these difficult economic times, union members know that it's more important than ever to come together as communities and help one another. That's why we're rolling up our sleeves and volunteering in our neighborhoods here in Fayetteville.

President-elect Barack Obama's national call to service has inspired AFSCME Local 965 to join in a volunteer cleanup at Greathouse Park, 1710 S. Price in Fayetteville. We will meet there at 10 a.m. on Monday, January 19th. Turning south from 15th Street onto Brooks, left on Walker, then right on Price looks like the most direct route there.

The King Day of Service, on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, was actually initiated by Congress in 1994 to promote community service grounded in King's teachings of nonviolence and social justice.