Barack Obama is calling for a national day of service to take place on Jan. 19, the federal holiday for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday and the day preceding Mr. Obama's inauguration as president.

This is considered more than a "single day and that's it" kind of volunteerism:

He will ask all of us to make an ongoing commitment to our communities. Never has it been more important to come together in shared purpose to tackle the common challenges we face.

This complements the "Change Is Coming" meetings that happened earlier this month around the region.  I attended the ones in Viroqua and LaFarge.  The energy and commitment levels seemed different, but it was a start of making change happen at the grassroots as well as in the new White House.  

If you are interested in the local efforts the contacts are George Wilbur in La Farge and lamont mcpheron in Viroqua.  Watch the website for more local meetings and actions.