Volunteer Opportunities Abound Through Greater Philadelphia MLK Day of Service

Signups for the Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service are very much underway, and Todd Bernstein, who is the president of the entity that is administering the signup process, said he wants the day to be about more than just volunteering.

"The one thing we stress is this is not just a day to do service. It's a day that, first and foremost, celebrates Dr. King and celebrates his legacy of turning concerns about pressing community challenges into action," Bernstein said. "It's an opportunity to reflect."

Bernstein's organization, Global Citizen, puts on the MLK Day effort. In 2011, the day falls on Jan. 17, but some projects fall on other days surrounding that date.

As he describes it, his nonprofit acts as a sort of clearinghouse for volunteer opportunities. Organizations from around the Philadelphia metropolitan area can register a project on the event website. Once that happens, officials with Global Citizen help that organization recruit volunteers and assist with the execution of the project.

Individuals and groups can also register to volunteer on the site as part of specific project. They can also register by calling 215-665-2475.

If a project doesn't have enough volunteers, Bernstein said, Global Citizen officials can assign volunteers in the system to that particular project.

Once a project is filled, it comes off of the website's registry of projects. Not all of the projects specifically require volunteers—some, like a coat drive at the  in Mt. Airy, merely ask that people drop off goods.

Bernstein said he expects about 70,000 people to volunteer throughout the region as part of the effort. When the day of service started in 1996, he said, 1,000 people volunteered, right after a massive snowstorm hit the area. Since then, it has grown exponentially.

Each volunteer will wear a T-shirt specifically tailored for the occasion. The idea of everyone wearing the same thing, Bernstein said, is "a powerful symbolic statement."

"It sort of speaks to the unity of the day," he said.

There are a variety of Roxborough and Manayunk groups participating this Martin Luther King Day, including:

• Cradles to Crayons of
• Philadelphia Fire Department— and 

The full list can be seen on this Web site (you must be logged in to see the opportunities).

The day of service's signature site is Girard College, which will host a variety of different activities. The mayor, governor and a congressional delegation will be there.

Bernstein said much of what happens during the day will be recorded by cameras and smart phones and uploaded to Flickr, to the Martin Luther King Day Twitter account and to the day's Facebook page.