(Washington, DC)  Responding to the Mayor’s call to District residents to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy with “citizen action,” youth leaders from the Department of Employment Services (DOES), Mayor’s Youth Leadership Institute (MYLI) will donate 500 collected canned food items to Capitol Area Food Bank.

A ceremony will take place at the DOES Office of Youth Programs, located at 625 H Street, NE, on Monday, January 21, 2008, where the group will conduct an official count of the canned food items before donating them.

Noted civil rights activists, Lawrence Guyot and Martha Norman, will serve as guest speakers at the ceremony.  Mr. Guyot and Ms. Norman were members of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party with Fannie Lou Hammer. The MYLI program, titled “Martin Luther King, Jr. - DC Day of Learning and Service,” is one of several official events honoring the memory of the late civil rights leader.

	LEADERSHIP PARTICIPANTS TO HONOR DR. KING
What:	Martin Luther King Jr. DC Day of Learning and Service, Sponsored by The Mayor's Youth Leadership Institute
Where:	Department of Employment Services Office of Youth Programs 625 H Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002
When:	Monday, January 21, 2008; from 11 am to 1 pm
Guests:	Mr. Lawrence Guyot and Ms. Martha Norman, well-known civil rights activists

The Mayor’s Youth Leadership Institute (MYLI) is a year-round program designed to train District youth in the concepts of leadership and self-development. The program consists of an innovative four-level tier: Alpha level, which focuses on personal growth and development skills; Beta level, which focuses on community development; Delta level, which deals with work readiness, life skills, and career exploration; and Omega level, which concentrates on practicum and internships.  For more information, contact the Department of Employment Services’ Office of Youth Programs at (202) 698-3492.