Governor Larry Hogan Announces “Day to Serve” in Maryland

Volunteer Initiatives Include Statewide Waterway Clean-up Effort, New Social Media Challenge

ANNAPOLIS, MD - Governor Larry Hogan today issued a proclamation declaring September 11 through October 10 as “Day to Serve” month in Maryland. As part of the announcement, Governor Hogan is encouraging all Maryland citizens to choose a day to participate in a volunteer activity. The “Day to Serve” initiative includes Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia, and West Virginia, each of which tracks statistics such as number of volunteers, hours served, and pounds of food donated in a friendly competition.

“The Day to Serve initiative is an excellent opportunity for Marylanders to join together in volunteer efforts, as well as highlight the incredible service and volunteerism that occurs year-round in our state,” said Governor Hogan. “Our citizens take great pride in our shorelines and beaches, our communities, and our state, and by working together, we can continue changing Maryland for the better.”

Governor Hogan will kick off “Day to Serve” on September 11 at the Maryland Center for Veterans Education and Training (MCVET) in Baltimore. Volunteers from the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives, state agencies, and the local community will work alongside the homeless veterans who reside at MCVET on various projects to help uplift and revitalize the center.

In an effort to promote responsible stewardship of our environment and keep Maryland’s shorelines and beaches litter-free, the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives is organizing a statewide waterway clean-up event for Maryland’s waterways, which will take place September 14-15. With events taking place in all 23 Maryland counties and Baltimore City, one great example is an event sponsored by the Kent Island Beach Clean Ups planned for Terrapin Beach on September 15, which is also International Coastal Cleanup Day.

To further promote the spirit of volunteerism, Governor Hogan has once again granted four hours of administrative leave for state employees to participate in a volunteer activity of their choice from September 11 to October 10. In addition to the many state employees who will be participating as individuals, several agencies plan to organize projects throughout the state to encourage employee participation.

“We greatly appreciate Governor Hogan’s continued support of promoting service and volunteerism throughout the state,” said Steve McAdams, Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives. “As our office travels to meet with communities around Maryland, we have seen first-hand the incredible impact volunteerism can have by addressing important issues and building lasting bonds.”

New this year, the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives announced the, “Day to Serve Challenge.” Volunteers can participate by uploading pictures from their service activity with the hashtags “#MDDTS2018” and “#iServeMD” to Facebook and/or Twitter and “tag” three individuals and/or organizations with an invitation to participate. Individual(s) and/or organization(s) with the most likes on their post by October 20 will win a special prize. Click here to learn more about the challenge.

Past “Day to Serve” service events have varied from cleaning up parks, streams, and beaches to creating care packages for military troops and feeding the hungry. Marylanders looking for volunteer opportunities are encouraged to check the Day to Serve event map periodically, as events will continue to be added. Volunteer service event organizers are requested to register events on the “Day to Serve” webpage.

To learn more about “Day to Serve,” please click here.