Serving with @CityYearChicago for Martin Luther King Day of Service 2014

Me, Mayor Emanuel, Congresswoman Schakowsky,
Alderman Joe Moore (49th)

On Monday morning I was lucky to celebrate the Martin Luther King day of service at Sullivan HS in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood with City Year.

I spoke for two or three minutes right after the Mayor on behalf of the Corporation for National and Community Service thanking volunteers for committing to serve and asking them to call on others to serve as well.

The awesome crowd at Sullivan - so many
people coming out to volunteer!

All in all it was an absolutely fantastic day, more than 700 people came out to volunteer including more than 100 students from Sullivan and dozens from Kilmer elementary school across the street. Together we painted murals throughout the entirety of the two schools. Really just a wild amount of work being done inside the school in a single day. I'd imagine the school had a very different feel as students walked in yesterday - the gym covered in freshly painted Sullivan logos, the hallways with inspirational quotes from Martin Luther King and Maya Angelou and Marianne Williamson and so many others.

Just wonderful to see so many people coming out to support their local high school and working together with the principal and the students to make it a better place.

A few pictures from the event below:

Speaking, with principals of Kilmer and Sullivan in the background

Volunteers painting quotes above the lockers in the Sullivan hallways

Me, working on a Sullivan HS logo for the gym.

Me with Alderman Joe Moore admiring the (almost finished product)

Great day overall, so much respect for what City Year was able to plan and implement, I know the Sullivan HS principal was immensely grateful, and I am hoping the kids enjoyed the school the next day.

There are a bunch more photos from the event here: CityYear Chicago Flickr