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Tomorrow: Gifts of Service for Nelson Mandela's Birthday

Posted by Julia Smith.


Photo from Flickr user Christine van der Merwe In honor of Nelson Mandela's birthday, the organization 46664 and the Nelson Mandela Foundation have deemed tomorrow (Saturday, July 18) Mandela Day. On the website, organizers wrote: "Mr. Mandela has spent 67 years making the world a better place. We're asking you for 67 minutes."

As of this writing, people around the world have pledged more than 130,000 minutes of service this weekend, and it's not too late for you to get involved and volunteer.

In addition to the push for service around the globe, there will be major celebrations in South Africa and the United States. According to this blog post, the South Africa-based event will be held in Newtown and feature music, dance, and speeches; meanwhile, a concert at Radio City Music Hall in New York will include performances from among others, Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, Aretha Franklin, and one of my favorite South African groups, Freshlyground. And it looks like the concert will be an international, annual event; organizers just tweeted that "The 2010 Mandela Day concert will take place in Madrid. Official announcement has just taken place in New York."

Learn more about Mandela Day at mandeladay.com.