MAYOR NUTTER ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR 16TH ANNUAL MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY OF SERVICE.

PHILADELPHIA, PA -- The following information was released by the city of Philadelphia:

Mayor Michael A. Nutter announced plans for the 16th annual Martin Luther King Day of Service that will take place on January 17, 2011. More than 75,000 volunteers are expected to participate in 1,200 community service projects throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. The Mayor also presented the Philadelphia Fire Department with the 13tth annual Harris Wofford Active Citizenship Award for its extensive, year-round community outreach efforts and fire prevention education programs. In addition to today's announcement and award presentation, a mural that was painted by students from six local schools and led by the Philadelphia Mural Arts program was unveiled. Volunteers will paint a second civil rights mural on Kind Day at Girard College.

"Throughout the year, more than 2,100 Philadelphia Fire Department personnel, led by Commissioner Lloyd Ayers, put their lives on the line serving our city and citizens," said Mayor Nutter. "The men and women of the Philadelphia Fire Department are also engaged in year-round outreach efforts to educate and inform our residents about safety and fire prevention. These committed public servants are deserving of this special honor and will lead thousands of volunteers in giving back on King Day."

Social media and digital inclusion tools will be utilized to increase awareness and participation in this year's King Day of Service. Facebook-- facebook.com/ phillykingday and Twitter-twitter.com/mlkdayofservice are being used to increase awareness and volunteer participation. PhillyKingDay, a free King Day of Service iPhone application that was developed by the Freedom Rings Partnership and Drexel University lists more than one hundred King Day of Service project opportunities, along with links to Facebook and Twitter so that volunteers can update their friends on their King Day of Service experiences.

"If Dr. King were alive, he'd see an explosion in technology, which provides new opportunities to connect and create a greater sense of community," said Todd Bernstein, President of Global Citizen and Director of MLK Day of Service/ MLK365. "But, he'd also see that 41% of Philadelphians do not have broadband Internet access. He'd see a growing digital divide, which is shutting out many, particularly people of color and low-income populations. Affordable access to the Internet using updated computers, smart phones, Facebook, Twitter, and other means isn't just a popular fad. It is becoming a civil rights issue around access to potentially life-saving information, education, employment and promoting civic engagement."

Some of the volunteer initiatives announced today are as follows:

,-A Girard College will serve as the region's signature project site with an expected 3,000 volunteers participating in some 150 service projects, workshops and presentations.

,-A The Freedom Rings Partnership, a new initiative led by the Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition (GPUAC), the City of Philadelphia and Drexel University. This multi-year campaign will provide broadband internet access and training to low-income residents. GPUAC will collect donated computers that will be refurbished by volunteers and distributed to community organizations in need throughout the City.

,-A All fire stations and more than 500 Philadelphia Fire Department personnel will lead thousands of volunteers in projects that include coat drives, CPR training, smoke detector installation, emergency preparedness education seminars. Neighborhood outreach projects on fire safety will be offered at all 63 fire stations.

,-A The Graduation Coach Campaign, an initiative of the Mayor's Office of Education to equip and empower adults to support the young people in their lives to succeed academically and professionally. On King Day, 200 new graduation coaches will be trained in workshops across the City. Upon completion of the workshop, these volunteers will pledge to dedicate their time to making sure that the young people in their families and communities have the information and support they need to set and achieve their educational goals. For more information, visit: www.phillygradcoach.org

,-A The Conversation of Kings: From Dream to Sacrifice toward a More Perfect Union, a discussion that will be led by New Conversation on Race and Ethnicity (NewCORP), in partnership with the Penn Project for Civic Engagement, Global Citizen and the School District of Philadelphia. On King Day, two conversations will take place at Girard College and at South Philadelphia High School

,-A Dozens of volunteer projects at Philadelphia public schools and other schools throughout the region. Volunteers will beautify 25 recreation centers across Philadelphia.

,-A Habitat for Humanity volunteers will renovate houses throughout the region.

,-A Volunteers will prepare food at homeless shelters and distribute meals to residents.

To learn more about the January 17th Martin Luther King Day of Service and year-round volunteer opportunities, visit www.mlkdayofservice.org or call the King Day of Service headquarters at (215) 665-2475.