Call for National Day of Service Events

The Leadership Council of Aging Organizations convened a conference call December 22nd with members of the Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) to learn about a special opportunity for a day of volunteer service tied to the inauguration of our new president. State Units on Aging, local Area Agencies on Aging and other aging network members may wish to participate. Below is an excerpt from the message from a PIC representative about how to use the PIC website to publicize your event and link volunteers with your project. Please distribute this information to those in the aging network in your state as you determine appropriate.

The Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) encourages organizations of all sizes and focus to get involved in planning, organizing and staging non-partisan volunteer community service events all across the country to be held on January 19, 2009 -- Martin Luther King Day.

The PIC is currently conducting outreach to national, regional and local organizations to encourage participation and to begin organizing volunteer events. These initial events will populate a new website dedicated to promoting and organizing this day of service.

Americans in every state will be able to go to the website, enter their zip code, and signup for events in their community.

The website is scheduled to launch after the New Year. Once the website launches, additional national, regional and local groups – as well as individual volunteers – will be able to sign on and help grow the list of service opportunities by creating more ways for every American to get involved.

Here is how your organization can begin getting active right away, and be a part of the initial website launch:

1) Pledge Your Organization’s Involvement Today: PIC is seeking national
participants to plan volunteer service events in multiple states, which will serve as a starting point for the launch of the new interactive website.

2) Schedule and Begin Organizing Events Right Away: Organizations committed to being a part of this national day of service, should immediately begin compiling a list of:
a. Sponsored events;
b. Location of these events;
c. Local contact on the ground for each event (a PIC field representative
will follow-up with them directly);
d. Description of the community service opportunity;
e. How many volunteers each event has the capacity to support.

3) Upload Scheduled Events: Beginning December 17, 2008, participating
organizations will be able to upload their planned events to the new website
before it launches. All events which are to be included in the initial launch of the website must be posted by December 31, 2008. To post an event before the
website launches, please go to http://www.pic2009.org/page/s/DS2.

4) Join with PIC to Help Promote Volunteer Opportunities in the Press: In
addition to direct outreach to potential volunteers, the PIC wants to work with
participating organizations to promote events across the country in the media.
Once the website is launched, PIC will work with participating organizations to
raise awareness around these events and drive additional volunteers to the
web.