In weekly radio address, our Governor asks communities to
celebrate by lending a helping hand. 

[view:node_ad=5]This week, our California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger dedicated
his radio address to recognizing Martin Luther King Jr. Day across the country,
and why circumstances this year provide a particularly poignant reminder of how
far this country has come as the first African-American president will be sworn
into duty tomorrow.   

"Imagine the incredible pride that Dr. King would feel if he
were with us today," said Schwarzenegger.

"President Regan used to tell about the letter that he got
from a man that said ‘You can live in Turkey,
but you can't become a Turk. You can live in Japan,
but you cannot become Japanese…but, anyone from any corner of the world can
come to America
and become and American.'"

While Barack Obama was born a U.S.
citizen, Schwarzenegger was not. He emigrated from Austria
in 1968.

"Everything I have I owe to this country," he said. "I came
here with nothing but a gym bag full of sweaty workout clothes."

Governor Schwarzenegger also addressed what he believed to
be the underlying meaning behind Martin Luther King Jr. Day; volunteering.

"Let's make Martin Luther King Day a day on, not a day off, and spend some time helping
to lift up our own communities."

The state of California
has many opportunities to give back, and Schwarzenegger referred listeners to www.Californiavolunteers.org to
find areas of need in their community.

To hear the Governor's full radio address, click here
(Approximately 3 minutes).