On January 19 and 20, Heart of America, in partnership with Target, MTV, Service Nation, City Year and Greater D.C. Cares, led a group of more than 200 young volunteers in a school makeover project at Simon Elementary School in Washington, D.C. Volunteers responded to President Obama's call for a day of service on Monday, January 19, 2009, in observation of Martin Luther King Day, and the hard work and positive energy continued through Inauguration Day.
As part of this project, Heart of America and Target implemented the renovation and makeover of two library spaces at Simon Elementary: a primary library for the younger children, and an intermediate library for older students. More than 2,000 new books, seven new computers, two television screens, and new furniture, shelving, carpeting, paint and décor rounded out the project. Plus, each student also received seven brand-new books to take home and add to their personal home library collections! The event was captured by the Oprah Winfrey Show and MTV during their special inaugural tributes to service and service-minded youth.
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- Number of children, parents, teachers and volunteers who participated — 700
- Number of books provided — 4,250
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"They're going to say, 'Wow! Somebody cares about us.' That's going to give them a different outlook."
— Regina Mack, Library, Simon Elementary School
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Simon Intermediate Library, Before
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