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Plans are shaping up for MLK Day of Service

Have any plans for Jan. 19 yet? Local organizers are hoping plenty of Philadelphians will take part in service projects on Martin Luther King Day, which falls just a day before Barack Obama will be sworn in as the nation's 44th president.

Have any plans for Jan. 19 yet?

Local organizers are hoping plenty of Philadelphians will take part in service projects on Martin Luther King Day, which falls just a day before Barack Obama will be sworn in as the nation's 44th president.

More than 60,000 residents participated in last year's Greater Philadelphia King Day of Service, making it the largest MLK event of its kind in the country, said Todd Bernstein, president of Global Citizen, a non-profit organization that leads the event.

Bernstein thinks Obama's words and actions could inspire more people to participate in the 2009 King Day of Service.

The local events and activities are sponsored by the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Target, the Comcast Foundation, Temple University and the Daily News and Inquirer, among many other organizations.

"There's a synergy between the King Day of Service and President-elect Barack Obama's vision. In his campaign, he said we will stand up together and answer the new call of service," Bernstein said.

"I think his campaign did what King did and that was to bring coalitions together and break down barriers," he added.

Obama, Vice President-elect Joe Biden and their families will spearhead a volunteer service project Jan. 19 in Washington, D.C.

Bernstein said a local news conference is planned for Jan. 7 to outline an initiative from Global Citizen called MLK 365.

The program will expand the King Day of Service into a year-round program of civic engagement.

Volunteers for this year's Day of Service can register online or by using the form below. *