NEW ORLEANS – On Saturday, August 29, 2015, Mayor Mitch Landrieu and the City of New Orleans, with the support of Walmart, will host one of the most comprehensive and unique service initiatives in the country.
From August 22 to August 29, the Mayor will encourage participation in service projects and spotlight examples of volunteerism across New Orleans neighborhoods. This effort will culminate on Saturday, August 29, with a comprehensive Citywide Day of Service in conjunction with more than 100 partner organizations
The City and its partners and sponsors aim to engage 10,000 volunteers throughout the week. Nonprofit, neighborhood, faith-based and education organizations will host nearly 100 service projects on the 10-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. These projects will focus in seven regions of the city including Central City; Seventh Ward/Treme; Lake Area/Gentilly; Florida/Desire, Lower Ninth Ward; New Orleans East; and, Algiers. Throughout the week, other areas around New Orleans will also host volunteer projects and special events.
Other sponsors for the Citywide Day of Service currently include Zurich Insurance and the Delta Regional Authority. Additional sponsors and partners will be announced in the coming weeks.
“Over the past ten years, volunteers from down the street and around the world have contributed millions of hours to help New Orleans build back better than before,” said Mayor Landrieu. “It’s been faith-based groups, college students, corporations, individual residents and countless others facilitating our recovery. The collective impact of these volunteers – constructing, cleaning, mentoring, training and more – forms the foundation of our resilient city. On behalf of the City of New Orleans, I want to thank the millions of volunteers for all their efforts, and I am very excited that sponsors, partners and community members will come together on August 29 to demonstrate the spirit of service that has defined our recovery and will guide our future.”
Walmart, Sam’s Club and the Walmart Foundation have joined with Mayor Landrieu as the title sponsor of this signature event. Following Hurricane Katrina, Walmart provided immediate support and emergency relief through its local stores and its disaster relief capabilities. Walmart recently opened two new stores in Gentilly and New Orleans East, both of which employ hundreds of full- and part-time associates. The Citywide Day of Service will further Walmart’s pledge to supporting volunteerism and community resilience.
“As the nation’s largest retailer, we take pride in using our strengths for good to help build communities and assist them in time of need,” said Mike Moore, executive vice president Supercenters – Walmart U.S. “During times of tragedy, we feel that it is our duty to step up quickly to help meet immediate needs of the communities we serve, and also ensure that those affected have the support they need to rebuild and create a thriving community. We are very pleased to support the City Wide Day of Service and look forward to joining in the volunteer efforts across New Orleans.”
The Citywide Day of Service is open to volunteers of all ages, backgrounds and levels of experience. Volunteers can sign up for a wide range of projects including renovating, building, cleaning, painting, planting, canvassing and training. All registered volunteers will receive a limited edition T-shirt and special seating at the Power of Community public K10 commemoration event on August 29 at 5:00 p.m. at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.
To better coordinate activities, organizers will create regional hubs and announce these locations in the coming weeks. In addition to the service activities, each of these regional hubs will also host a health-wellness-opportunity fair where the City and local organizations will share more information with residents about community resources.
If community members do not have an opportunity to register before the event, they can register on site from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, August 29. All registered volunteers must check in at their regional hubs between 7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. on August 29. Projects will start promptly at 8:30 a.m. and conclude at 12:30 p.m. Wrap-up parties with lunch, entertainment and guest speakers will occur at the regional hubs at 1:00 p.m.
Volunteers are encouraged to use the hashtag #k10serve to tell the story of their service throughout the week.
