President Obama Launches USA Service Program
By Madison Chapman, Grade 9

Throughout his campaign, President Barack Obama emphasized the importance of building a stronger America through public service. The launching of a program called "USA Service" marks the beginning of President Obama’s plan to motivate citizens of all ages to volunteer in their communities.

On this past Martin Luther King Day, President Obama, wife Michelle, and daughters Malia and Sasha helped pack care packages for soldiers overseas, to set an example of serving their country. But USA Service is about more than just one day of volunteering. A website has been set up to encourage Americans to continually lend a hand to each other, especially amidst the current economic crisis. According to usaservice.org, "Never has it been more important to come together in shared purpose to tackle the common challenges we face."

In the first two weeks of the initiative, over 13,000 service projects were organized across the nation. Through the website’s ‘Find an Event’ tool, people can locate events in their city, area and state. The website breaks down the results into categories, such as environmental projects, blood drives, neighborhood clean-ups, food collections, and more. USA Service is also partnering with many organizations, including the American Red Cross, AmeriCorps and Youth Service America. But the events through usaservice.org do not just include volunteer opportunities set up by large charitable groups. USA Service provides ordinary people with the chance to create their own event to post on the website for other people in their community to see.

The initiative is a continuation of another one of Obama's campaign messages: unity. Coming together as a country was a prevalent theme in his January 20 Inauguration speech, in which he spoke of the importance of public service. "We are one people; we are one nation; and together, we will begin the next great chapter in America's story," Obama said.

If you are interested in volunteering, go to www.usaservice.org and see ways you can participate in projects within your community.

A group of students at Emery Elementary School in Washington D.C. participate in a 2009 Martin Luther King Day service project.

Photo Credit:
http://www.americorps.org/about/media_kit/photos_galleries_detail.asp?tbl_gallery_id=1302Obama Family: © BrokenSphere / Wikimedia Commons