Building on its ongoing commitment to service and active participation in the community, the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) announced today that more than one thousand Convention delegates from across the country will volunteer at dozens of community service sites in and around Denver on Delegate Service Day, Wednesday, August 27, from 10:00am-12:00pm.
Projects ranging from serving meals for the homeless and park cleanup, to reading to children and aiding military families are being coordinated by Metro Volunteers, Democrats Work and Volunteers of America. Through this effort, and in conjunction with ServiceNation, a national campaign to increase community and national service opportunities and promote service as a core ideal of civic engagement, the DNCC aims to inspire hundreds of thousands of Americans in a renewed commitment to service.
Michelle Obama and Colorado First Lady Jeannie Ritter are co-chairing Delegate Service Day, the capstone to a year-long DNCC community service effort, in which leadership and staff have contributed more than 850 hours to a variety of local projects. Both Michelle Obama and Ritter will participate in Delegate Service Day activities with their children.
Community members are invited to serve alongside delegates at the following projects:
1. Open Space Revitalization at Cherry Creek State Park
Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to motivate and enable citizens to be active stewards of Colorado’s public lands, thereby creating enthusiastic and beneficial stewardship of Colorado’s natural and cultural resources. Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado will lead a volunteer project for delegates to participate in an effort to revitalize and restore areas of Cherry Creek State Park.
2. Graffiti Abatement and Neighborhood Cleanup in Stapleton
Delegate volunteers will have the opportunity to improve the aesthetic appeal and health of the Denver suburb of Stapleton by removing graffiti and litter in the area.
3. Write Letters to Incredible Kids
Each year Camp Fire USA hosts Absolutely Incredible Kid Day, a national, annual letter-writing campaign urging adults to write letters of support to the children in their lives. This year, the Central Rockies Council of Camp Fire USA is extending this campaign to include delegates attending the Democratic National Convention. Delegates are invited to write letters to incredible kids in their lives and in their delegations during the Delegate Service Day. Delegates are encouraged to bring the names and mailing addresses of 8-10 children from their delegation that are making a positive impact in their communities.
4. Moving Party at YouthBiz Offices
YouthBiz's mission is to advance the social and economic empowerment of youth through a focus on business, academics, and leadership. At YouthBiz, through after-school and summer programs that incorporate hands-on activities, real-world experience, and peer-to-peer facilitation, youth become active participants in their learning and success. Delegates will volunteer at YouthBiz by assisting the staff in moving the organization into their new 6,500 square foot facility.
5. Science Experiments with Students at Cole K-8 School
Cole K-8 school, a Denver Public School, is reopening for the 2008-2009 school year after shutting its doors four years ago. Delegates are invited to join Cole students in their classrooms for two hours of reading and other activities.
6. Play with Children at Warren Village
Warren Village helps motivated low-income, single parents move from public assistance to self-sufficiency through subsidized housing, on-site childcare, counseling, and education or job training. One of Warren Village's programs, The Greta Horwitz Learning Center, provides quality childcare and early childhood education for 130 children, ages six weeks to twelve years. The Learning Center uses a multi-cultural and gender-fair curriculum developed for at-risk urban kids. Delegates will volunteer at Warren Village by playing and interacting with the Learning Center's children.
7. Make Blankets with the Visiting Nurse Association
The Visiting Nurse Association (VNA), in its second century of service, improves quality of life by providing excellent health care to people where they live and work. The VNA is Denver’s oldest non-profit home health agency, providing home care, hospice services and community wellness programs. Delegates will volunteer with the Visiting Nurse Association by making fleece lap robes for patients in the VNA's hospice, palliative care and other programs.
8. Read to Children at the Blair-Caldwell Library
The mission of the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library is to serve as an educational and cultural resource for the people of Denver, Colorado, and the world, focusing on the history, literature, art, music, religion, and politics of African Americans. Delegates will host a reading event for children and distribute books at the library.
9. Sort Food and Clothing and Serve a Meal at the Volunteers of America Mission
Volunteers of America (VOA) seeks to identify and serve the basic needs of the most vulnerable individuals and families in the Denver community. With nutrition, residential, youth, and volunteer programs, VOA assists citizens of all ages and levels of need in the Denver metro area. Delegates from the District of Columbia, New Mexico, and Virginia will have the opportunity to sort food and clothing, to give to local families in need. In addition, volunteers will serve a lunch time meal to downtown Denver citizens in need.
10. Block Party and Park Cleanup in the Curtis Park Neighborhood
Delegates will have the opportunity to volunteer alongside residents of the Curtis Park neighborhood, located near Downtown Denver. Volunteers will be participating in a park clean-up and tree-planting project, as well as interacting with area citizens during a block party.
Click here to register for a Delegate Service Day volunteer opportunity today.
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