(Washington DC)–Washington Capitals defensemen John Erskine and Bryan Muir will participate in the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service on Monday, January 15. Erskine and Muir will work with nearly 100 volunteers from Greater DC Cares and Serve DC at Hine Junior High School in Southeast. The Caps players will take part in a beautification project that will include cleaning, painting and brightening the hallways of the school.

In 1994 Congress passed the King Holiday and Service Act, designating the King Holiday as a national day of volunteer service. Instead of a day off from work or school, Congress asked Americans of all backgrounds and ages to celebrate Dr. King's legacy by turning community concerns into citizen action. The King Day of Service brings together people who might not ordinarily meet, breaks down barriers that have divided us in the past, leads to better understanding and ongoing relationships and is an opportunity to recruit new volunteers for your ongoing work.

Participation in the King Day of Service has grown steadily during the past decade, with hundreds of thousands of Americans each year engaging in projects such as tutoring and mentoring children, painting schools and senior centers, delivering meals, building homes and reflecting on Dr. King's life and teachings. Many of the projects started on King Day continue to engage volunteers beyond the holiday and impact the community year-round.

Who: Washington Capitals players John Erskine and Bryan Muir.

What: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.

When: Monday, January 15, from 10 am-noon.

Where: Hine Junior High School, 335 8th Street, SE, Washington, DC 20003.

For more information, contact Elizabeth Wodatch, community relations manager, at (202) 345-1029 (cell) or ewodatch@washcaps.com.

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