Volunteer Maryland Hosts Alumni Service Project for Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, Kicks Off #Return2Serve Alumni Campaign

Over 700 AmeriCorps Members Return to Engage

ANNAPOLIS, MD– Volunteer Maryland today joined the Baltimore AmeriCorps Alumni Chapter to participate in a service project at the Baltimore Community ToolBank in commemoration of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. Today’s project kicks off the #Return2Serve Alumni campaign, an initiative through Volunteer Maryland, that engages current and past AmeriCorps members to identify initiatives for continued service and facilitates networking and mentorship opportunities, further strengthening bonds built through service. Over 738 past and current AmeriCorps members joined the project to assist in various duties.

“Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. believed in the power of volunteerism, and there is no better way to honor his legacy than to join together to serve our communities,” said Nicki Fiocco Director of Volunteer Maryland. “Volunteer Maryland AmeriCorps members dedicate a lifetime to service, and we are excited to kick off this initiative on this special day to provide another opportunity for all AmeriCorps Alumni to engage in volunteerism.”

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is observed as a Federal Holiday annually on the third Monday of January. To honor the memory of Dr. King, the volunteer community calls on individuals to celebrate the holiday as a “Day on, not a day off,” by volunteering within their communities. In addition to Volunteer Maryland’s project today, various organizations across the state have organized activities to engage volunteers and encourage service.

Last August, the Corporation for National Service named Maryland as a top ten AmeriState and Baltimore as the number one AmeriCity, following the release of an annual report which ranks communities based on the number of AmeriCorps members per capita. Alumni participating in today’s event were encouraged to share their current endeavors and their “life after AmeriCorps.”

The Baltimore Community ToolBank lends tools and equipment to non-profit and charitable organizations at substantially reduced costs. Participating organizations are provided access to a variety of equipment for various projects to improve their community. The Baltimore Community ToolBank is an affiliate of ToolBank USA.

About Volunteer Maryland
Established in 1992, Volunteer Maryland places AmeriCorps members in partner organizations to serve as Volunteer Coordinators. Volunteer Coordinators assist organizations with increasing volunteer program efficiencies, volunteer recruitments, and developing volunteer programs. Volunteer Maryland currently has AmeriCorps members at 25 service sites throughout Maryland, and has begun partner organization recruitment for the 2019-2020 service year. Organizations interested in partnering are encouraged to attend one of their upcoming information sessions. Additional details on upcoming information session can be found by visiting: https://volunteer.maryland.gov/servicesites