Pool via NBC News
President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama paint a bookshelf at Burrville Elementary School in Washington, D.C., on the National Day of Service on Saturday, January 19 2013.
By Andrew Mach, Staff Writer, NBC News
On the cusp of President Barack Obama?s second inauguration and a national holiday to honor civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., a National Day of Service began Saturday around the country, calling on Americans to volunteer and serve others.
During the whirlwind weekend to mark the end of the president?s first term and the start of his second, Obama, joined by first lady Michelle Obama, began the day participating in a school makeover?project at Burrville Elementary School in Northeast Washington, D.C.,?along with approximately 500 volunteers.
Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, were also on hand to serve.
?Those who serve our men and women in uniform, our wounded warriors, our veterans and our first responders ? they give so much of themselves ? and for us, it?s our obligation to give back,? Jill Biden said Saturday. ?I hope this is just the first of many of the days that you all volunteer this year and serve your community and our country is something we can do every day all the time for the rest of our lives.?
Obama started the service projects in 2009 and said he hopes his initiative will become a tradition for future presidents.
?America?s never been about what can be done for us; it?s about what can be done by us together,? Obama said on Jan. 4, according to a White House news release.
?Inaugurations are about more than just celebrating, they?re about coming together to make our country a better place,? Obama said in a video message encouraging people to sign up to serve their communities on Saturday.
Thousands of volunteers in all 50 states are slated to participate this year.
- In Washington, D.C., volunteers will prepare more than 10,000 care packages for soldiers, veterans and first responders.
- In New York, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and city agencies will be engaging in service projects in communities affected by Superstorm Sandy.
- Volunteers who signed up in California will give food and winter coats to the homeless.
- In Chicago, service members will gather at Navy Pier to write letters and put together care packages for service members overseas.
- Sixty-two AmeriCorps members in Oklahoma will travel to a neighborhood once segregated by Jim Crow laws to repair homes for low-income families.??
Steve Kerrigan, president and CEO of the Presidential Inaugural Committee, says the day of service makes the inauguration ?truly a national celebration.?
The president will officially be sworn in for his second term on Sunday in a private ceremony at the White House. He?ll take the oath of office again on Monday before hundreds of thousands of onlookers on the National Mall, followed by a parade and formal balls in Washington.
President Obama encourages everyone to sign up and serve as part of the National Day of Service on Jan. 19, 2013.
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