Day of Service: Jan 19

Did you know that MLK Day is a national day of service? This was mandated by Congress in 1994, but since then it hasn't been publicized much. I was truly inspired when I watched Colin Powell's speech last week about the renewed focus on MLK Day being a national day of service. I promptly went to the Web site, usaservice.org, to look for volunteer events in my area. This line from the Web site gives me the warm fuzzy:

Every time our nation faces crisis, our national experience has shown Americans rise to the challenge. While government has an important role to play in helping rekindle our economy and addressing the problems of a distressed nation, President-elect Obama believes each of us, as Americans, have a responsibility to do what we can for our communities and fellow citizens. We are one nation.

That's right - be responsible and do what's best for our collective needs, not just what's best for ourselves. It'll be great if this day will help jumpstart a spirit of sacrifice and service. It's just what our country needs!