A lot of people are looking forward to the federal holiday Monday honoring slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
Many will use the day off to go skiing. Or to sleep in. Or to finally mail out their Christmas cards. (I promise.)

But a surprising number of Springs residents are planning to work, answering a call issued by President-elect Barack Obama to honor King and give back to the country with a day of public service.

In fact, more than a dozen events are planned across the region that weekend by people energized by Obama's message of change and the realization that individuals nationwide must get involved for true change to occur.

(See event details, links, contact information and more on my Side Streets blog.)

Paige Kraus, Jen Wilking and Jo Ruth are among the dozens of Springs residents who will be busy Jan. 19 - MLK Day - and the next day, when Obama is sworn in as the 44th president of the United States.

Until December, the women were strangers and generally not political activists. Just people inspired by Obama's message of hope.

Then they all showed up for a neighborhood meeting hosted by Martha Williams of Rockrimmon. Williams had issued a general invitation to anyone interested in building on Obama's campaign promise of hope and change.

"I have a heart for making the world a better place," said Kraus, a third-grade teacher at Foothills Elementary School and a mother of four. "Obama's push for hope and change resonates with me. So I went to the meeting to see what they were going to do."
Wilking is a Web designer and mother of two who found similar inspiration in Obama's message.

"I'd never been to a home meeting, but I went to meet people who think the way I do," Wilking said.

She and Kraus simply clicked in their desire to make their neighborhood a better place and involve their children in the process.
"We have similar passions for our children," Wilking said. "A trash pick-up is a project they can be involved in. And an inauguration party at a nursing home was another idea we liked. So that's where we decided to start."

Ruth, a retired nurse and teacher, said the group was looking for ways to make an immediate impact.

Out of that wintry meeting sprang a new group members are considering calling HOPE in Action, which stands for Helping Other People and our Environment. They can't wait to get started.

"It was easy to identify a variety of things we could do," Ruth said. "They didn't have to be huge projects. We just want to make a difference and celebrate what we have and our new community spirit."

All three stress that HOPE in Action is not a political organization. It is all about public service, like Obama is encouraging.
And they hope many will join them - at 1 p.m. Jan. 19, when they will lead a Rockrimmon neighborhood cleanup geared toward families. They will tackle litter along Centennial Boulevard near Vindicator and Allegheny drives.

Or join them at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 20 at Viewpointe senior living center, 555 Rockrimmon Boulevard South, for an inauguration party with center residents.

"Obama knows change can't happen unless it's a grassroots movement," Kraus said. "I'm willing to be part of that. We want to make the world a better place. That's all we're about."

Tell me about your neighborhood: 636-0193 or bill.vogrin@gazette.com