This year, Colorado Cares Day is being incorporated in President Barack Obama’s new nationwide summer service initiative, United We Serve. The 11th Annual Colorado Cares Day will take place on Saturday, July 25, 2009. Currently, service projects are being planned in counties across the state.
First Lady Michelle Obama kicked off the 81-day summer service initiative on June 22, 2009, in San Francisco at the National Conference on Volunteerism and Community Service. United We Serve will end on the new September 11th Day of Remembrance and Service.
Colorado Cares Day is a statewide day of service in honor of Colorado’s statehood on August 1, 1876. This year, the Governor’s Commission on Community Service (GCCS) is working to make this year’s Colorado Cares Day the largest statewide day of service to date. The GCCS has incorporated AmeriCorps*VISTA resources to focus on this year’s event to promote increased volunteerism and community service throughout Colorado.
“In celebrating Colorado’s statehood with a day of service, residents are encouraged to give back to their communities, promoting the importance of community service,apostrophe Lt. Governor Barbara O’Brien stated. “The Governor’s Commission promotes volunteerism as an effective means to address community needs.“
The GCCS will work with community organizations throughout the state to encourage private and governmental organizations to develop and register service projects for Colorado Cares Day 2009. Service projects can be registered on the Commission website, www.colorado.gov/gccs. The service projects registered through the GCCS will be recognized in the Colorado Cares Day Report, which will be released in August 2009.
New this year, the GCCS is asking volunteers to register on the website to be matched to a service project. This is a much larger undertaking by the GCCS, and hopes are that this effort will help increase civic engagement among more Coloradans.