Compton, California - December 13, 2010 (TAM) To help facilitate President Obama's national call to serve in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King on MLK day 2011 and throughout the year, Tomorrow's Aeronautical Museum (TAM) is reaching out to the community and asking for a year-long commitment of volunteerism.
In 1994, Congress passed the King Holiday and Service Act, designating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a national day of volunteer service. Instead of a day off from work or school, Congress asked all Americans to celebrate Dr. King's legacy by turning community concerns into citizen action.
To facilitate this day of volunteer service, TAM has initiated Operation Hangar Cleanup to prepare their STEM lab (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math). STEM is another Obama initiative (http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/09/16/changing-equation-stem-education). TAM's STEM lab will offer hands-on enrichment to build a plane, a wind tunnel, form a robotics team, as well as a video gaming graphic design club.
Operation Hangar Cleanup will consist of cleaning, painting, organizing and preparing their hangar and Sky Lab for educational classes. Repairs will be made to the Sky Café where students can learn job skills and build work experience.
Also planned is a Book & School Supply Drive. TAM will collect donations of books & school supplies to be used in Aero Squad After School Program & distribute extras to local CUSD schools.
On MLK day, TAM will provide Health Screenings and information, as well as providing a Financial Literacy Workshop.
Many of the projects started on MLK Day of Service continue to engage volunteers beyond the holiday and impact the community year-round. TAM will invite all volunteers to sign up as volunteer tutors, mentors, or career expo planning committee members for the year.
The scope of the event grows every year, however many people still are not aware of the service component of the holiday. By encouraging the participation of as many organizations as possible, the Corporation for National & Community Service hopes to make 2011's MLK Day of Service the biggest and best ever, engaging more people in service that honors Dr. King's life and teachings.
MLK Day of Service is for everyone who believes in improving communities and the lives of citizens because that was the focus of Dr. King's life. Most people immediately think of Dr. King in the context of the civil rights movement. In addition, he worked to address what he called the triple evils of Poverty, Racism and War.
He said these evils existed in a vicious cycle and stand as barriers to living in the Beloved Community. These issues are still affecting many communities, especially in today's tough economic times. The issue of poverty is particularly relevant in Compton as an increasing number of families are in jeopardy of losing their jobs and homes. Compton suffers from high rates of crime, gang activity, and drug use, while having very low high school graduation rates. According to CQ Press using reported data from the F.B.I., Compton is ranked #8 in the 2010 City Crime Rate Rankings. According to the California Department of Education (DOE), the high school graduation rate for Compton Unified School District (CUSD) is only 47%. The DOE's 2010 Academic Performance Index (API) rates Compton schools very poorly. Compton's high schools have a score of 588, compared to the statewide high school average of 729. Overall, CUSD scored 679, while the state average was 767.
Without programs that improve the communities and chances for success, the cycle of poverty will continue. Such losses create a need for on-going services that may be highlighted through MLK Day of Service activities.
