Service Nation Hosts Salisbury Day of Action September 27

SALISBURY, MD---Service Nation, a national grassroots movement to mobilize citizens and communities across America to unite in fostering a culture of service and civic engagement, launches Saturday, September 27, in Salisbury with the Service Nation Day of Action.

Michael Piorunski, former AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service to America member and director of the ShoreCAN Volunteer Center at Salisbury University; Salisbury’s Promise Alliance; Junior Achievement of the Eastern Shore; the City of Salisbury; Chesapeake Bay Foundation and ShoreCorps/Partnership for Adolescents on the Lower Shore (PALS) are joining forces to host three events across Salisbury to mobilize and engage citizens in the Day of Action.

The Salisbury Day of Action begins with a non-profit fair 10 a.m.-1 p.m. in Red Square at SU. The fair showcases local non-profit organizations and service agencies, and gives these organizations an opportunity to foster awareness about their missions and service to the community. Salisbury Mayor Barrie Parsons Tilghman opens the event with a proclamation from the city. SU President Janet Dudley-Eshbach and elected officials will be on hand to kick-off the event.

The Day of Action continues from 1-3 p.m. at the Bay Garden on West Main Street (near Brew River Restaurant) for a cleanup project with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Participants work to weed the garden to create a more sustainable environment for native plant species. Volunteers also help maintain the mulch cover and revitalize the path.

The Day of Action concludes with the Collaborative Supervision and Focused Enforcement (C-SAFE) Williams Street Playground and Neighborhood Cleanup Project from 3:30-5 p.m. This project includes youth from ShoreCorps/PALS, East Salisbury School, Wicomico Middle School and “Teens on the Go.” Community volunteers revitalize the playground and install landscaping to bring new life to this area in support of the ongoing community mobilization efforts of the mayor’s office’s C-SAFE initiative.  This initiative seeks to reduce crime and provide positive programs for youth in the Church Street and Doverdale neighborhoods.

All residents of Salisbury, Wicomico County and the surrounding communities are invited to participate. For more information contact Mike Piorunski at 410-546-6015, George Whitehead at 410-543-6369, Katie Willis at 410-543-1999 or Michelle Parks at 410-341-9550.