From the AJC’s recap of this past weekend’s three days of volunteering…

Saturday through Monday, a record 1,220 volunteers participated in the 9th annual Decatur Martin Luther King Jr. Service Project.

“What you basically have here,” said Project Chairman James Matthews,“is a good old fashioned barn raising.”

Volunteer coordinator Lee Ann Harvey is one of three people who created the Service Project, beginning in 2003. Although a smattering of volunteers are highly skilled fixer-uppers, most, she said, are “unskilled laborers.” Many come from school or church groups, businesses. Some volunteer individually.

From the City of Decatur’s website…

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” – You might have associated this quote with the U.S. Postal Service. This year, it is the creed of Decatur’s 9th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Service Project. The volunteer planning committee has been busily working all week to prepare for this weekend. We are looking forward to hundreds of volunteers showing up to do home repairs and yard work to help our seniors live safely, comfortably and affordably in their own homes. There is a warming trend this weekend.

It will still be a bit cold on Saturday morning, so those interested in doing yard work might want to consider signing up for another shift. We will still be doing some yard work on Saturday morning. Home repairs will continue all weekend as planned. We would especially love more volunteers who can do home repairs or are fairly proficient with carpentry. We also still could use some additional volunteers with trucks who could pick up additional supplies at the Edgewood Lowes and deliver them to the homes in Oakhurst, especially on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and all day on Monday. There are other opportunities to help with checking out and checking in tools. If you are familiar with yard work, please consider joining us as a Yard Work Captain.

Please help us be environmentally friendly and bring your own reusable water bottle. Please be sure to dress for the weather. Sign up for one or more of the following shifts:

Saturday, January 15, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Sunday, January 16, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Monday, January 17, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

To sign up or for further information, please contact Lee Ann Harvey, Volunteer! Decatur, at or 678-553-6548 or 770-652-8593.

The Decatur Book Festival are looking for some hard-workin’ peeps, who want to help out the festival and earn themselves a free t-shirt along the way.  From Daren Wang’s Verb.org…

Many volunteer positions have already been filled but there are still numerous openings. Visit the website for a list of volunteer positions and job descriptions. Available positions include:
* Book Market on the Square Set Up – Saturday, September 4 from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. (great for groups). Volunteer early, so you can have uninterrupted enjoyment of the Festival.
* Book Market on the Square Close Down – Sunday, September 5 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. (great for groups). A great way to cap off a great Festival.
* Author Talk/Signing Venue Support (including the Children’s Stage and the Teen Stage/The Escape) – Various shifts available on Saturday and Sunday. Become one of our Festival ambassadors. Training is required.

To sign up to volunteer for a special weekend that includes a unique mix of authors, parades, meeting new people, and lots of fun, visit www.decaturbookfestival.com and go to “Participate” or contact Lee Ann Harvey with Volunteer! Decatur at or (678) 553-6548.

Every year Decatur residents team up on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend to help the area’s elderly make needed repairs to their homes and help with necessary yard work. (Photo courtesy of the city’s website)

This year the shifts are as follows:

Saturday, January 16: 9am to 1pm and 1pm to 5pm

Sunday, January 17: 1pm to 5pm

Monday, January 18: 9am to 1pm and 1pm to 5pm

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From Lee Ann Harvey at the city…

I know that everyone is busy with the holidays, but we are now only 9 days away from the Tour and there are still lots of volunteer positions to fill. We would appreciate your help. As we approach Thanksgiving and look at what we are thankful for, I think about the hundreds of you who respond to my requests for volunteers at our many events and service projects in Decatur. I am thankful for knowing so many wonderful, caring people.

Volunteers receive a complementary ticket to take the Tour, which benefits the Decatur Youth Fund and the Decatur Preservation Alliance.

Descriptions of the homes are available at http://decaturtourofhomes.com. To sign up, just let me know your name, day & evening phone numbers and email address. Also please let me know which shift you prefer and whether there is a home you prefer (the first shift on Friday is nearly filled):

• Friday, December 4, 5:00 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.
• Friday, December 4, 7:15 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
• Saturday, December 5, 5:00 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.
• Saturday, December 5, 7:15 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

You may either email this information or call me at 678-553-6548. Please forward this email to anyone that you think might be interested in volunteering on the Tour.