NCLR Joins Community Groups for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                       Contact:
January 16, 2014                                                                       Ricky Garza
                                                                                                 (202) 776-1732
                                                                                                 rgarza@nclr.org


NCLR JOINS COMMUNITY GROUPS FOR DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY OF SERVICE

WASHINGTON, D.C.— NCLR (National Council of La Raza) and local nonprofit partners will hold community activities across the nation on Friday, Jan. 17, and Monday, Jan. 20, in honor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.  NCLR AmeriCorps members will join community organizations in California, Illinois, Maryland and Texas that belong to the NCLR Affiliate Network in paying tribute to Dr. King through community service projects and celebrations of civil rights activism.  Members of the public are invited to participate in these activities; a description of each project and contact information are listed below by state and community organization.

California:

AltaMed Health Services Corporation—Los Angeles, Calif.
Monday, January 20
NCLR AmeriCorps LENS Members and AltaMed Community HealthCorps will participate in the Roosevelt High School Campus Beautification Project, which will bring the community together to renovate the campus.  Volunteers and AmeriCorps Members will help with painting, restoring artwork, gardening and general clean-up.  AmeriCorps Members will also host an information booth and share information about the NCLR AmeriCorps LENS Project and AltaMed services so the community can learn about resources available through their program.
Contact:  Desiree Zamora Valadez, DZValadez@altamed.org

MAAC Project—San Diego, Calif.
Monday, January 20
NCLR AmeriCorps LENS Members will join the 26th Annual All People’s Celebration Breakfast.  Volunteers will participate in a program planned along with the breakfast to highlight the progress made in civil rights.  The breakfast is being held in a public market area.
Contact:  Diamond Wallace, Diamond@alliancesd.org

The Unity Council—Oakland, Calif.
Monday, January 20
NCLR AmeriCorps LENS Members will work with Attitudinal Healing Connection of Oakland for the MLK, Make the Dream Real community celebration.  Members are organizing food donations, coordinating volunteers and providing outreach to the community.  On the day of the event, members will facilitate discussions about Dr. King’s teachings on how to be an agent of change.  The event will encourage volunteering, honor community members who are doing exemplary service in the Bay Area, showcase young artistic presentations and provide inspiring speeches by prominent keynote speakers.  This year’s theme is “Dream a System of Racial Equality,” and the event will feature keynote speaker Dr. Shakti Butler of World Trust.
Contact:  Amadeia Rector, arector@unitycouncil.org

Youth Policy Institute (YPI)—Los Angeles, Calif.
Friday, January 17
The YPI NCLR AmeriCorps LENS program is partnering with the YPI VISTA program in celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr., to create care packages for homeless people in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles.  Skid Row is one of the largest populated areas of homeless people in the United States, with sidewalks lined with people, tents, carts and cardboard homes.  AmeriCorps Members will gather volunteers and donations—including hygiene products and used clothing—from school sites and donors and distribute them to many organizations in the area.  
Contact:  Noemi Rodriguez, noemi.rodriguez@ypiusa.org

Illinois:

Instituto del Progreso Latino, Gads Hill Center and Association House of Chicago—Chicago, Ill.
Monday, January 20
NCLR’s AmeriCorps LENS programs in Chicago, Instituto del Progresso Latino, Gads Hill Center and the Association House of Chicago are partnering for the third annual MLK Day Clothing Drive. AmeriCorps members will collect and sort through donated clothing.  The drive will take place from noon to 6:00 p.m. at Instituto del Progreso Latino, located at 2520 S. Western Ave.  Volunteers will be accepted on the day of event.
Contact:  Yvonne Nieves, y.nieves@idpl.org

Maryland:

Latin American Youth Center – Maryland Multicultural Youth Center—Riverdale, Md.
Monday, January 20
NCLR AmeriCorps LENS Members will coordinate a day of activities and special presentations on Martin Luther King, Jr., for Buck Lodge Middle School and Nicholas Oram Middle School in Riverdale, Md.  Members will assist with diversity, conflict resolution and anti-bullying workshops.
Contact:  Luis Quinones, Arturo@layc.org

Texas:

Southwest Key Program—Austin, Texas
Accepting donations January 17–February 6
NCLR AmeriCorps LENS Members will hold a winter hat, scarf and glove drive on behalf of the needy in Austin.  The project will be completed during a three-week period at the East Austin College Prep campus, located at 6002 Jain Lane.  The collections will be taken to the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition.
Contact: Marlen Soto, msoto@eaprep.org

NCLR—the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans.  For more information on NCLR, please visit www.nclr.org or follow along on Facebook and Twitter.

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