Powell asks Americans to volunteer on holiday
WASHINGTON (AP) — Gen. Colin Powell on Friday asked Americans to consider their day off on Martin Luther King Day a “day on” instead.
Powell, an honorary co-chair of the Inauguration, announced the Presidential Inaugural Committee’s “Renew America Together” volunteering initiative to take place on Jan. 19, the King holiday.
President-elect Barack Obama, Vice President-elect Joe Biden and their families will volunteer in the Washington area that day, a day before the Jan. 20 inauguration. They are asking Americans to do the same in their own communities.
“I think it will capture the imagination of the American people,” Powell said, adding that there was a “fervor” for the new administration that should be tapped.
The goal is to make public service a greater priority throughout American life. “It’s not enough, I think, just to do it one day a year,” Powell said.
The inaugural committee launched a Web site, USAService. org, to help Americans find opportunities to volunteer in their own communities. Spokeswoman Linda Douglass said there are already nearly 5,000 online listings, and people can add their own.
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