In 1994, Congress transformed the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday into a national day of community service to further commemorate a man who lived his life in service to others.

As a tribute to that legacy and the very real needs of our nation, the President-elect Obama and Vice President-elect Biden will launch a national organizing effort on the eve of their Inauguration to engage Americans in service.

This national day of service will fall on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, January 19, 2009 and, unlike past calls to service, President-elect Obama will ask Americans to do more than just offer a single day of service to their cities, towns and neighborhoods. He will ask all of us to make an ongoing commitment to our communities. Never has it been more important to come together in shared purpose to tackle the common challenges we face.

As part of the Presidential Inaugural Committee, we are launching a new website – USAService.org – to help promote service events and as a place for Americans to make their commitments, build communities, find opportunities to serve, and share their results. These can be events that orient people to an organization's work, engage people in direct service, or bring people together to reflect on Dr. King's legacy and how they can commit to becoming more engaged citizens.