Parents Act on President Obama's Renewed Call to Service

CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwire - June 17, 2009) - National PTA® is renewing its strong history of daily volunteerism and service by mobilizing its millions of members, families and other education advocates across the country this summer to support a new initiative released today by the White House.

Today, National PTA launched a comprehensive resource to give all parents and advocates a practical tool to use when planning a service project in conjunction with 'United We Serve' -- an initiative unveiled today by President Barack Obama calling on Americans to serve their communities from June 22 - September 11.

PTA's "Call to Service" toolkit, available at www.pta.org/calltoservice, provides step-by-step details for planning a project, as well as project ideas and examples of successful projects of PTAs in the past. Other resources being developed to be posted soon include: suggested timelines, checklists, and a sample invitation to the public and to an elected official. It also encourages people to share their success about their projects with National PTA. These stories and results will be shared with President Obama and the Corporation for National and Community Service at the end of the initiative.

As 'United We Serve' engages Americans to address community needs in education, health, energy and the environment, and community, PTA urges its members, partners and supporters to focus on sustained service related to education, military families, and health. Although the effort has an end date, the purpose of this initiative is to make meaningful service a year-round commitment.

Some of those service projects will include reading to children, distribution of books, library card drives, back to school health events and other projects that fit within the mission and scope of work of PTA. In fact, PTA is already working to distribute thousands of books and library cards to children this summer in partnership with other national organizations.

About National PTA

PTA comprises millions of families, students, teachers, administrators, and business and community leaders devoted to the educational success of children and the promotion of parent involvement in schools. PTA is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that prides itself on being a powerful voice for all children, a relevant resource for families and communities, and a strong advocate for public education. Membership in PTA is open to anyone who wants to be involved and make a difference for the education, health, and welfare of children and youth.

Contact Information: Contacts: James Martinez Office: (312) 670-6782 Ext. 325 Cell: (773) 339-4533 La'Keisha Gray-Sewell Office: (312) 670-6782 Ext. 321 Cell: (312) 623-4560