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Columbia, SC - As the nation pauses to remember the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. this weekend, sixty high school students from Spartanburg School District One will pursue Dr. King's dream of community service by volunteering throughout the weekend at various sites in Spartanburg.

All of the students are active AmeriCorps members. On Saturday, January 17 and Sunday, January 18 the students will work at the Second Presbyterian Church soup kitchen at 438 North Church Street beginning at 10:00 a.m.

On Monday, January 19 Corps Members will perform a clean-up at the new Hospice House in Landrum beginning at 10:00 a.m. Later in the day, they will be certifying day care workers in Adult and Child CPR at the Jack Vees Day Care Center in Campobello.

"The students in Spartanburg One are a prime example of our goals for volunteer service in our state," said David McRae, AmeriCorps program director. "These young people regularly tutor in three communities in Spartanburg County, and they chose to add three days of service in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to give something extra to their community. They are truly outdoing themselves and setting the bar high for other volunteers this MLK Day."

Governor Carroll Campbell established the South Carolina Commission on National and Community Service to support community service initiatives in the State and to administer grants under the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993. In December 2007, by Executive Order of Governor Mark Sanford, the United Way Association of South Carolina was appointed as the governing authority of the Commission. The Commission, which includes the AmeriCorps program, is South Carolina's lead agency on volunteerism and national service.

"Our vision for this program is three-fold," said United Way Association of South Carolina President Tim Ervolina. "We seek to promote and increase an ethic of service and volunteerism in the State of South Carolina; the capacity of faith-based and community organizations within the state to better compete for funding opportunities; and the collaboration among the communities and organizations that are trying to meet the greatest needs of the Palmetto State."

The AmeriCorps program encourages volunteerism for everyone from youth to seniors to people with disabilities; promotes community solutions for disaster preparedness and response; and helps to strengthen and expand volunteer centers and other community-based organizations that use volunteers to accomplish their mission. Currently, the Commission funds nine programs throughout the state with grants totaling more than $1,250,000.

For more information about the South Carolina Commission on National and Community Service, visit www.uwasc.org.

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