Mayor’s Day of Recognition for National Service at ISU April 9; yearlong Project Ubuntu reaches Pocatello April 8-12

Project Ubuntu, a national, yearlong service project, will be in Idaho to support Community HealthCorps April 8-12, and join Pocatello Mayor Brian Blad at Idaho State University at 2 p.m. April 9 for the first Mayor's Day of Recognition for National Service.

The Mayor's Day of Recognition for National Service will be held in the ISU Pond Student Union Quad Lounge on Tuesday. It will feature Mayor Blad delivering a proclamation honoring national service. Representatives of from ISU Institute of Rural Health’s AmeriCorps, Idaho Community HealthCorps, Idaho Health Care for Children and Families and surrounding AmeriCorps programs such as the Retired Senior Volunteers Project and Foster Grandparents will be on hand.

The Mayor's Day of Recognition for National Service was created to spotlight the impact of national service and thank those who serve. Mayors across the country, 586 of them as of March 26, will participate.

The event also will feature the founder of Project Ubuntu, Daniel Becton, who will draw attention to the critical need for citizen engagement to support disadvantaged Americans.

Through the Project Ubuntu, Becton will travel to all 50 states and Washington, D.C., supporting one group in each state. Idaho is the 32nd stop on his yearlong journey (schedule: http://projectubuntu.info/tour-dates/), which runs August 2012 to August 2013.

The ultimate goal of Project Ubuntu is to celebrate service across the United States and to inspire its people to pursue a higher form of happiness by becoming a nation, as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed, "where all our gifts and resources are held not for ourselves alone, but as instruments of service for the rest of humanity."

The founder, Becton, is raising the profile of partners, volunteering and delivering workshops as he supports of a variety of causes.

Becton supports Project Ubuntu's partners by channeling his skills and resources to meet their needs, and by sharing his perspective on service and building positive community. He dedicates one week to each partner to learn their stories, and he writes about his experience by exploring the paradox, "How do we build 'us' without first building 'them?'" He broadcasts these stories to a growing international audience as he strives to inspire increased kindness and service.

Becton, who created the project, and his team have been working since May 2010 to secure partners, funding and arrange projects. Now, Becton travels to all 51 communities on the route alone, with the goal of celebrating people whose purpose is defined by enabling all humans to thrive, and inspiring others to do the same.

Becton served as a volunteer with City Year San Jose/Silicon Valley from 2009-2010 and spent the last two years helping the organization open up its second international affiliate in London. He studied philosophy, music and women’s studies at the University of North Carolina, and has a master’s degree in gender studies from the London School of Economics.

More information on Project Ubuntu is available at www.projectubuntu.info; by contacting Daniel Becton at danielbecton@projectubuntu.info or 919-448-6191; on Facebook at  https://www.facebook.com/projectubuntu; or on Twitter at  https://twitter.com/projectubuntu.

 For more information on Community HealthCorps, visit www.communityhealthcorps.org.

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About Community HealthCorps (National Program): Community HealthCorps' mission is to improve healthcare access and enhance workforce development through community health center sponsored national service programs. Founded in 1995 by the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), it is the largest health-focused, national AmeriCorps program with nearly 500 members serving in various capacities around the country in 19 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Community HealthCorps Navigators strive to enhance access to primary and preventive services and programs for the medically underserved. 

About ISU's Community HealthCorps: This year in Pocatello, the Institute of Rural Health – Idaho State University is hosting 21 Community HealthCorps Navigators (AmeriCorps members), serving across 10 different Community Health Centers and other non-profit health focused agencies. These Navigators serve local communities by performing various case management, health education and outreach activities throughout their 12-month service term.