The President and First Lady, Vice President Biden, Cabinet Secretaries, and Senior Administration Officials Honor Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service

WASHINGTON, DC – To honor the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service and Dr. King’s life and legacy, the President and First Lady, the Vice President, Cabinet Secretaries, and other Senior Administration Officials will participate in community service projects and events.  The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service is an opportunity for all Americans to honor Dr. King by coming together to help meet the needs of their communities and re-commit to service throughout the year.

The President and First Lady will participate in a community service project at the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Washington, in celebration of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service and in honor of Dr. King’s life and legacy. They will be joined by Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, Assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary Broderick Johnson, and Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) CEO Wendy Spencer.

Also today, the Vice President will deliver remarks at the Organization of Minority Women’s 31^st Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast. The breakfast, which takes place at the Chase Center on Wilmington’s Riverfront, will commemorate the legacy of the great ‘Drum Major of Justice for all People,’ the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. and will pay tribute to the late State Representatives Al and Hazel D. Plant. 

On Monday, January 19^th, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Cabinet Members will participate in Day of Service events in the Washington, DC area and in cities around the country.  Events include the following:

• Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew will serve alongside City Year AmeriCorps members in New York City.  Service projects will include painting murals and accents, light construction, organization, kit-making, and workshops for youth.
• Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Administrator of the General Services Administration Dan Tangherlini will serve at the Student Conservation Association’s annual King Day cleanup of Anacostia Park. 
• Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack will serve at the Central Iowa Shelter & Service’s Mulberry Food and Farms Greenhouse in Des Moines to assist the Shelter’s team in providing work and housing placement services.
• Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker will speak at the Taproot Foundation’s Scope-A-Thon event which will connect approximately 100 DC/Baltimore area nonprofit organizations with professional project managers.
• Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez will speak to students at the University of South Carolina and serve meals to those volunteering at service projects throughout the City of Columbia.
• Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro will serve at the Greater Washington Urban League Young Professionals 14^th Annual Community Service Drive. He will also give remarks at the National Action Network Annual Martin Luther King Day Dr. Breakfast.  
• Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson will deliver remarks at the “A Day of Reflection and Service” event at the Martin Luther King. Jr. Memorial, hosted by the Memorial Foundation, IMPACT DC, and the Faith and Politics Institute.  
• Deputy Secretary of Transportation Victor Mendez will participate in a screening of the film “Selma” with DC nonprofit Horton’s Kids, an organization whose mission is to educate and empower the children of Washington.
• Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will serve at Southeast DC’s Eastern Senior High School alongside City Year AmeriCorps members. He will be joined by White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough.
• Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert McDonald will serve at Fisher House in DC preparing and serving meals to veterans and their families.
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell will participate in a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service project hosted by Project HOME, a non-profit organization that empowers individuals to break the cycle of poverty and homelessness through affordable housing, employment, health care, and education.
• Deputy Secretary of Energy Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall will serve at an Energy Department event designed to promote STEM learning and energy literacy among young DC students.
• Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development Rajiv Shah will serve at Martha’s Table by preparing and distributing hot meals to homeless Washingtonians and families in crisis.
• Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Gina McCarthy will serve with Habitat for Humanity AmeriCorps members building homes in the Ivy City neighborhood of Northeast DC.
• Administrator of the Small Business Administration Maria Contreras-Sweet will serve alongside City Year AmeriCorps members at Gage Park High School in Chicago.
• CNCS CEO Wendy Spencer will participate in various service projects throughout Washington, DC.
• Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power will serve with Student Conservation Association AmeriCorps members at the East River Park in Manhattan to improve the soil damaged by Hurricane Sandy.
• Chairman Fred P. Hochberg of the Export Import Bank of the United States will serve at the Lotus House in Miami, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of homeless women, youth and children.
• In addition, on January 15^th, Peace Corps Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet visited children at Barbara Chambers Children’s Center in Northwest D.C. for a day of service alongside Peace Corps staff.  The Director and her team participated in a variety of service projects totaling nearly 830 hours of service throughout the day.
• And on January 17^th, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell served by cleaning up the area on the National Mall surrounding the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. The Secretary served with the Interior Department, National Endowment for the Arts, and General Services Administration staffs, as well as members of the mentoring and professional development nonprofit IMPACT DC.

For more on the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service, please visit the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) at mlkday.gov.