HABITAT FOR HUMANITY NEW YORK CITY VOLUNTEERS BUILD ON DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.’S DREAM THROUGH SERVICE IN QUEENS
Volunteers Make a Positive Impact on Their Community by Rehabilitating Homes and Painting a Community Center as Part of the 2014 MLK Day of Service
(Queens, NY, January 18-19) Habitat for Humanity New York City hosted its 15th annual “Building on a Dream” Martin Luther King Jr. weekend of service to recognize Dr. King’s vision and continue his dream by organizing volunteers to rehabilitate vacant homes as well as revitalize the Roy Wilkins Park Family Center in Queens. The MLK Day of Service is a part of United We Serve, President Barack Obama’s national call to service initiative.
More than 160 volunteers led by 16 AmeriCorps members partnered with future Habitat NYC homeowners for this year’s event on January 18th and 19th. The volunteers were joined by hundreds of thousands of volunteers across the country who participated in the 2014 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service.
“This weekend, Habitat NYC volunteers and future Habitat homeowners came together to honor Dr. King’s legacy of service and advocacy by making a significant contribution to their community,” said Neil Hetherington, Chief Executive Officer of Habitat NYC. “Their hard work echoes Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s message of social justice and service.”
“I am very happy to see that the humanitarian ideals espoused by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. have inspired so many caring people to volunteer to take part in the Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service events that Habitat for Humanity New York City will be sponsoring in Queens,” said Queens Borough President Melinda Katz. “Thanks to their efforts, vacant and dilapidated single-family homes in southeast Queens will be substantially rehabilitated and the popular Roy Wilkins Recreation Center in Jamaica will be repainted and revitalized. I commend all of the volunteers and their AmeriCorps Service Member leaders for their dedication to making Dr. King’s dream of a better life for all Americans a reality.”
“With so much focus on consumption during the holiday season, it's easy to lose sight of the importance of public service and community development. At the Southern Queens Park Association (SQPA) and the Roy Wilkins Park Family Center, we seek out opportunities to honor the legacies of leaders such as Martin Luther King and Roy Wilkins, and working with Habitat NYC volunteers on service projects that improve the quality of life of local residents is a wonderful way to celebrate the MLK holiday," said Trevor Scotland, Director of Marketing and Special Events, Southern Queens Park Association.
The weekend highlighted the importance of the AmeriCorps program, which is currently being threatened with elimination in Congress. In New York, 7,200 AmeriCorps members serve with 1,300 nonprofits, schools, public agencies and community partners to recruit more than 1.2 million volunteers. Their service provides much needed support and has an exponential impact on outcomes for nonprofits like Habitat for Humanity New York City.
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Press Contact:
Carly Blatt
(212) 991-4000 ext. 344
cblatt@habitatnyc.org
About Habitat for Humanity New York City
Habitat for Humanity New York City transforms lives and our city by building quality homes with families in need and by uniting all New Yorkers around the cause of affordable housing. With the help of thousands of volunteers every year, Habitat NYC has served more than 380 families in the five boroughs of New York City with their permanent housing needs.
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