Residents ready to serve on Obama’s volunteer day

LYNN – Tian Truong’s parents brought her to this country as a child and ensured she received an education. Truong honors them by spending some of her time volunteering at a soup kitchen serving the homeless.On Jan. 19, President-elect Barack Obama hopes millions of other Americans will follow her example. He has declared a national volunteer day to coincide with Martin Luther King Jr. Day and his inaugural committee has launched a Web site, USA-Service.org, to help Americans find opp-ortunities to volunteer in their own communities.Spokeswoman Linda Douglass said there are already nearly 5,000 online listings, and people are welcome to add their own.Heisi Figue-roa is not sure she can pitch in next Monday, but she said volunteering takes up a significant amount of her time and represents a lifelong commitment. Selena Jackson grew up in the South and has already devoted some of her time to volunteer work by helping out with efforts aimed at improving job opportunities for Lynn residents.”I’m trying to improve the community the best I can,” she said.Obama national “help out” day is not an original concept: The Corporation for National and Community Service, the agency that oversees AmeriCorps, has been working for 14 years to make King Day a national day of service at the request of Congress. They also worked with the inaugural committee on the new project.Original or not, Yanira Ortiz likes the national volunteering concept and says she regularly helps out at church food pantries. She hopes Obama’s focus on volunteering spurs a nationwide interest in volunteer work aimed at making long-term improvements.Although a troubled economy has meant a drop in charitable giving, one of the nation’s best-known modern military leaders said he was confident Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden could appeal to the generous American spirit.”My experience is, in time of need, the American people recognize that they have to do more than they would have otherwise,” Colin Powell said.Powell founded the America’s Promise Alliance, a group that tries to improve children’s lives, and has also worked with the Boys and Girls Club and the United Negro College Fund.He said he has not been asked to work in the Obama Administration and has made it clear he doesn’t want to.”I’m not looking for a job,” he said. “I’m very happy in private life, thank you very much.”Powell asked Americans to consider their day off on Martin Luther King Day a “day on” instead.Powell, an honorary co-chairman of the inauguration, announced the Presidential Inaugural Committee’s “Renew America Together” volunteering initiative to take place Monday.Obama, Biden and their families will volunteer in the Washington area that day, a day before the inauguration. They’re asking Americans to do the same in their own communities.”I think it will capture the imagination of the American people,” Powell said, adding that there was a “fervor” for the new administration that should be tapped.The goal is to make public service a greater priority throughout American life.”It’s not enough, I think, just to do it one day a year,” Powell said.Cristy Martel recently moved to Lynn from Florida where she volunteered at a local humane society. She plans to look into local volunteering opportunities once she gets settled.”I’m busy now.”