As I wrote last week, there is a lot going on next Monday. In addition to honoring Martin Luther King Jr., it’s also the eve of the Obama inauguration and the official National Day of Service. President-elect Obama is serious about making the National Day of Service a “kick off event” rather than a one-time deal.
The Obama team did an amazing job using the Internet to organize volunteers for the presidential campaign, and they are leveraging that experience on a new site: USAService.org The site will be the home of Obama’s “Renew America Together” initiative. It’s a central location to promote events taking place this weekend, and on an ongoing basis it will continue to help Americans organize future service events.
The site already has some great content. You can register to host an event, or find one in your local area. There is a fantastic “Other Service Opportunities” page filled with associated service organizations. It’s an inspiring list of nonprofits and social action networks like idealist, ashoka and dosomething. The most helpful part of the site is the Community Service Event Guide. It is a four-step guide to planning community service events. It’s designed for events with 30 to 100 volunteers, but many of the ideas are useful even if you have a smaller group or event.
Of course there is also a blog, and that’s where you can watch the video of Kal Penn and find out more about the YouTube contest. You knew there would be a YouTube component, right? Yes, the site has a YouTube channel, and right now they are running a contest to find the best three-minute clip answering these two questions:
- What does service mean to you and why is it important?
- What will you do on Jan. 19 to serve your community?
The top three videos will be posted on USAService.org, and the person who makes the best video will receive a call from future First Lady Michelle Obama. You only have until 11:59 p.m. EST on Jan. 15th, 2009, so get out your Flip Mino camera and start recording!
You can find all of the details about the contest, including the fine-print rules here. It’s exciting to watch the concept of ongoing community service gain momentum from week to week. I can’t wait to see those videos, and I’ll continue to update you on the progress of the Renew America Together intiative. And if you miss the deadline for the video contest, or if you’re camera shy, feel free to share your MLK Day of Service plans here in the comments!