125K Volunteers Expected to Participate in 19th Annual Greater Philadelphia MLK Day of Service

The Greater Philadelphia MLK Day of Service, hosted by Global Citizen, has been one of the largest in the country in recent years: last year over 115,000 participated throughout the region in roughly 1,600 service projects.

This year’s Day of Service is expected to be even bigger. Founder and director Todd Bernstein announced at a press conference Wednesday that over 1,700 projects and 125,000 volunteers throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware are expected to participate in the event on January 20.

On MLK Day, Girard College will host the MLK Day Signature Service Project for the fifth consecutive year. Mayor Michael Nutter, Girard College President Clarence Armbrister and other elected officials will participate alongside over 100 volunteers to donate, pack and distribute critically needed school supplies, computers, and classroom and library books to Philadelphia public schools.

Several other events will also occur at Girard College on January 20th, including the MLK365 Civic Engagement Expo, a Kid’s Carnival,  the 3rd Annual Jobs & Opportunity Fair, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute Concert.

Reaching the Dream: College Readiness Workshops will also be held for students ranging from middle school to seniors in high school.

The news conference also included the unveiling of a Day of Service mural, led by Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, which was painted by students from six-area schools. Each school created a 5’ x 6’ canvas mural focused on the 60th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education. In addition, Nutter also presented the 16th Annual Harris Wofford Active Citizenship Award to Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church.

Register to volunteer and browse projects occurring throughout the Greater Philadelphia area by visiting mlkdayofservice.org, and use #MLKDay2014 on Twitter to track the event on January 20th.

(Image via @GCitizenMLK)