WASHINGTON, DC – National Volunteer Week will be celebrated in Washington, DC and nation-wide from April 19 – 25, 2009. Serve DC – The Mayor’s Office on Volunteerism is pleased to honor and encourage volunteerism in Washington, DC with a robust calendar of projects, events, and recognition celebrations this week.

First, Serve DC and Mayor Adrian M. Fenty will honor local volunteers by hosting the Mayor’s Community Service Awards on Tuesday, April 21. The award recognizes those who strive to meet the needs of the community, therefore making the District of Columbia a stronger and better place to live. The Mayor’s Community Service Award is an opportunity for citizens, corporations, government agencies, nonprofits and faith-based entities to come together to celebrate the spirit of service in the District of Columbia.

Next, Serve DC, and the District will celebrate Earth Day with the presentation of the Mayor’s “Green DC” agenda. Environmentally-friendly plans were developed by District agencies and are currently available for public viewing at green.dc.gov. Serve DC is proud to participate by logging our green initiatives, projects and events onto this website as well as dedicating a percentage of all volunteer projects going forward to this effort.

Finally, National Volunteer Week in DC will be topped off as Serve DC coordinates Global Youth Service Day for the eighth consecutive year. Global Youth Service Day is the largest service event in the world, providing millions of youth world-wide the opportunity to tutor young children, engage in disaster relief, educate their communities about good nutrition, distribute HIV/AIDS prevention materials and meet many more community needs through their service. To date, Serve DC has coordinated more than 100,000 volunteers in more than 500 projects in all Wards of the city during this day of service. The kick-off this year will be held at the Watts Branch Recreation Center on Friday, April 24, 2009 from 4 - 6 pm. Join us for these service projects and others as we celebrate the spirit of service in the District of Columbia.

For more information about National Volunteer Week events in Washington, DC please visit Serve DC's website or call (202) 727-7925.

About Serve DC:
Serve DC’s mission is to strengthen and promote the District of Columbia's spirit of service through partnerships, national service and volunteerism.