SERVICE LEADERS IN 50 COUNTRIES MOBILIZE THOUSANDS OF VOLUNTEERS FOR INTERNATIONAL DAY OF SERVICE

WHAT: Meridian International Center and VOLiNTEER will unite service leaders in nearly 100 cities around the world to engage 50,000 volunteers in one collaborative day of service. The individual projects range in size and scope and will impact the lives of over 200,000 people worldwide. Lithuania is participating with a nation wide Street Music Day festival (www.gatvesmuzika.lt ) which was initiated by Andrius Mamontovas (one of country’s most famous musicians and social activist). Huge part of the event is organized by non formal voluntary organization “Cultural Volunteers” (www.kulturossavanoriai.lt ).

Volunteers will track their activities through social media resources that include live tweets, Facebook posts, blogs, and pictures uploaded to a comprehensive volunteer map here

WHEN: Saturday, May 7, 2011

WHERE: Locations throughout the United States, Argentina, Armenia, Belarus, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, Gambia, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Haiti (in NYC), Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Jamaica, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Lithuania, Moldova, Morocco, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Paraguay, Portugal, Rwanda, Samoa, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vietnam, Zambia

WHO: This event is co-hosted by Meridian International Center’s Global Service Leaders Initiative (GSLI) and VOLiNTEER. Participants include government officials, representatives from the non-profit sector, community members, and motivated individuals from the private sector.

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About Meridian:  Meridian International Center’s mission is to strengthen international understanding and serve as a center of innovation for engaging the public sector, private sector, and diplomatic community in an exchange of ideas, people, and culture. Meridian’s GSLI identifies and connects volunteer leaders around the world in order to provide them with access to professional development and the tools necessary to achieve their goals.
For more information, visit www.meridian.org or www.meridian.org/gsli
Facebook: Meridian International Center
Twitter: @MeridianIntl

About VOLiNTEER: VOLiNTEER is an online network that provides service leaders in nearly 100 countries with a platform to exchange information and discuss best practices on how to maximize the impact of volunteerism around the world.

For more information, visit http://www.volinteer.net.
Facebook: VOLiNTEER.org

Twitter: @VOLiNTEERorg