Area Residents Join Congressmen in Service
DODD
Norwalk Hour
Tait Militana
Boston University Washington News Service
Jan. 19, 2009
WASHINGTON- Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., called on citizens to give back to their country Monday and encouraged people of all ages to volunteer.
Dodd joined area residents and politicians at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium east of Capitol Hill to stuff care packages with toothpaste, gum, energy drinks and other treats for troops overseas. The event was held to commemorate the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. Dodd said that so many Connecticut residents were willing to come and participate in the festivities shows just how optimistic people are.
“People want a renewed sense of hope,” said Dodd. “You want to feel that sense of optimism. I think you want to be around when it happens and you want to carry it back.”
David Burstein, a Weston resident who works with a local non-profit, was one of the 12,000 people who turned out at the stadium. The workers formed long assembly lines inside heated tents, writing letters and picking out the best goodies for the soldiers.
“Our county is built on the work of volunteers,” said Burstein. “Without them our country wouldn’t work.”
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Vice President-elect Joe Biden, and Michelle Obama also participated in the event.
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