Volunteers Invited To Richmond's MLK Jr. Day Of Service

From Groundwork Richmond: The City of Richmond and Friends of the Richmond Greenway (FORG) are hosting the 11th Annual MLK Jr. National Day of Service and the Grand Opening of Unity Park, a local community-designed park. Held each year on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, Richmond’s Day of Service represents the single largest community volunteer effort in West Contra Costa County. On this day, hundreds of local residents join thousands of Americans across the country in making the holiday a day on –rather than a day off . Residents and friends from around the Bay Area gather to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to serve others by working in the community and improving the Richmond Greenway Trail, a vital active transportation corridor.

● What: Annual Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service on the Richmond Greenway

● Who: Friends of the Richmond Greenway (FORG) and the City of Richmond

● Where: S. 16th Street & Ohio Ave. entrance to the Richmond Greenway (between Ohio and Chanslor)

● When: Monday, January 15, 2018, 8:00 am - 2:00 pm

This year the event will take place at Unity Park, the city’s newest park on the Richmond Greenway Trail, and celebrate its grand opening. Unity Park was designed by residents and various local community organizations in Friends of the Richmond Greenway.

One organization, Groundwork Richmond, will lead community volunteers in planting trees at Unity Park to increase green spaces and improve the health of the community. Recently the City of Richmond, Trust for Public Land, Groundwork Richmond, and the Watershed Project were awarded a grant from the CA Coastal Conservancy that will impact more than just Unity Park.Groundwork’s service project on MLK Jr. National Day of Service is the beginning of a larger effort by Groundwork Richmond to increase green spaces and the urban forest throughout the City of Richmond.

Other service projects for the day will include garden plantings, mulching, and litter cleanup. Don’t forget to bring your water bottle, clothes you’re not afraid to get a little dirty, and layers for changing weather conditions. At noon the commemoration ceremony will begin with a national moment of silence, followed by brief speeches from local leaders committed to the Greenway.

There will also be a special ribbon cutting ceremony and FREE hot meals for volunteers.

“Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

RSVP via Facebook https://www.facebook.com/event...

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