January 19th, the day we celebrate Martin Luther King, jr. and his dream, and the day before Barack Obama takes office as President of the United States, Democrats around the country are declaring a day of service to America. What a cool way to show your patriotism the day before Obama is sworn in! I want to highlight some events around the country where people can give back to their local community. I posted this as part of an earlier diary but realized that since the diary was aimed at people in Washington, D.C., no one who would be interested would see it. So, if you live in Washington, D.C., you can find some community service events for January 19th here. But if you live in Arkansas, Colorado, Virginia, Florida, Wyoming or Washington State, read on:

Democrats Work connects Democratic volunteers with visible, tangible service projects in their communities – cleaning up neighborhoods and parks, supporting schools and teachers, planting trees, sponsoring soccer clinics, and working at food banks. Democrats Work has events on Jan. 17th-19th in:

* Arkansas: Arkansas Foodbank Network in Little Rock

* Colorado: Denver Rescue Mission; Canned Food Drives in Denver with House District 5 here, here, or here (all on January 17th); Serve Lunch at The Crossing in Denver; Food Bank of the Rockies; Jeffco Action Center; Cleanup Tollgate Creek in Aurora

* Florida: New Smyrna Beach Cleanup

* Virginia: Clifton Road Cleanup

* Washington State: Work at the Northwest Harvest Foodbank in Kent; Restore Cheasty Greenspace in Seattle; Planting at the Duwamish Riverbend Hill in Tukwila (January 17th)

* Wyoming: Help at Interfaith-Good Samaritan in Laramie

America is about to enter a new era, leaving the Bush fiasco behind. Start this new era by reconnecting with your local community.

I got this from the National Jewish Democratic Council:

Please join the National Jewish Democratic Council and other Jewish groups on:

Monday, January 19, 2009
1:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center
5701 Marinelli Rd.
Bethesda, MD

for an afternoon of giving back to the Washington, DC community in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday.

Participate in a variety of service projects including:
decorating placemats for the Children’s Inn at the National Institute of Health, making cards for soldiers serving in Afghanistan and Iraq, making 1,500 bag lunches for area homeless shelters, a bone marrow drive, and much more!

To learn more and to register please click here!

If you have any questions regarding this event please contact Abby Bruell at 202.216.9591 or at abby_at_njdc.org.

What a cool way to show your patriotism the day before Obama is sworn in.
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