This Saturday, Michelle and I are heading out to events as part of the National Day of Service -- and I hope you'll join us.
It's a day to put politics aside, give back to our communities, and honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by following his example. If we want to bring about change, it has to start with us, person by person and block by block.
Volunteers have organized thousands of events in all 50 states -- look up one in or around Elgin, RSVP, and we'll see you out there this Saturday.
Here's just one event close to you:
Where: 164 Division, suite #415
Elgin, IL 60120
When: Saturday, January 19th
12:00 pm EST
I wanted service to be a big part of my inauguration because it's played a huge role in my life.
As a young community organizer starting out in Chicago, I learned that the best ideas, the ones that succeed, take hold at the grassroots. No one needs to wait on politicians or Washington: Change happens when individuals take responsibility for one another and their communities.
At the Day of Service in 2009, I visited with military families and wounded service members at the Walter Reed Medical Center and painted walls at a homeless shelter. Joe packed his toolbox and helped Habitat for Humanity hang drywall in new housing in D.C., while my girls, Michelle, and Dr. Jill Biden filled care packages for our troops overseas.
See what's going on near you, and be part of the inauguration by joining your neighbors on Saturday:
http://action.2013pic.org/National-Day-of-Service
I'll see you out there on the 19th.
Thanks,
Barack