2,300 Student Heroes Start Service With City Year
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver Among Many Officials Participating in Events Nationwide Today
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At City Year, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a “day on” and not a “day off.”
Today, at City Year locations across America, high-energy events are taking place that will honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King and celebrate 1,700 middle-school students and 600 high-school students dedicated to maintaining his legacy through citizen service. The 2,300 students pledging to serve community and country will be led by City Year corps members, who are engaged in a year of full-time service as tutors, mentors and role models.
Young Heroes is a leadership development and community service program for 6-8th grade students. It is supported by a $1 million contribution from Bank of America. On Saturdays from January to May, City Year corps members teach middle-school students about their ability to have a positive impact in their communities. These young people come together to work in diverse teams of eight to 12, serve a minimum of 80 hours and, in the process, earn the President's Volunteer Service Award. Participants learn about the social issues in their communities and help address them through hands-on community service.
In addition, 600 high school students will serve as “City Heroes” to learn about social challenges and what they can do to address them. Activities include interactive lessons, debates related to a monthly topic, and hands-on community service.
"We are deeply inspired by the thousands of middle school and high school students nationwide who are taking the pledge today to become Young Heroes and City Heroes. When young people are given the tools to create positive change, amazing things happen -- leaders emerge, lives are changed and neighborhoods improve," said City Year CEO Michael Brown.
"Young Heroes began as a small program in one location but now with Bank of America's generosity, there are Young Heroes across America, led by full-time City Year corps members who offer important models of diversity, teamwork and optimism," said Brown. "Bank of America has been instrumental to the growth of the Young Heroes program and we could not have done this without their meaningful support for developing diverse and compassionate leaders."
The investment in young leaders is consistent with Bank of America’s philosophy of corporate philanthropy: “We work with non-profit organizations to identify critical issues in local communities and invest in these organizations to better equip them to address these needs. Together, we can build new coalitions, open new windows of opportunities and continue a long tradition of community investment that enables our neighbors to attain their potential and dreams.”
Immediately after taking their pledge to serve, the Young heroes and City Heroes will join City Year corps members, friends, family, community volunteers and corporate partners in service. Thousands of volunteers, led by City Year corps members, are engaging in an array of projects such as refurbishing community centers, painting murals, planting gardens, building bookshelves for classrooms and conducting youth-led marches to celebrate peace and honor the legacy of Dr. King.
Guest speakers included Bank of America representatives, family and friends of the students pledging to service and special guests, including:
- City Year Boston: Mayor Thomas M. Menino
- City Year Detroit: Superintendent Connie K. Calloway
- City Year Los Angeles: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver
- City Year New York: Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
- City Year Seattle / King County: Governor Chris Gregoire
- City Year Washington, DC: Mayor Adrian Fenty and Senator Harris Wofford
To learn more about City Year and how diverse corps members unite as tutors, mentors and role model, who make a difference in the lives of children and transform schools and neighborhoods across the United States and in South Africa, please visit www.cityyear.org.
For more information about Bank of America’s commitment to philanthropy, please visit http://www.bankofamerica.com/foundation/.
Click here to read the City Year Young Heroes and City Heroes Pledge.
Contact: Alison Franklin
617-927-2612