By CAROL MARBIN MILLER, LAZARO FRAGA AND JENNIFER LEBOVICH

Some will plant herb gardens. Others will paint benches, refurbish rocking chairs or take trained pets to nursing homes. And still more will pick up litter at the beach.

 

Thousands of volunteers will fan out across South Florida -- and, indeed, the nation -- this weekend as part of a community service day honoring the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

 

Organizers of some of the events predict a brisk turnout owing to the convergence of several events: the national holiday Monday celebrating King's life and work; Tuesday's historic inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama, whose election has inspired many to become more involved, and a slumping economy that has left many in need.

 

''Never seen anything like it,'' said Dale Hirsch, executive director of Volunteer Broward, which will coordinate a host of service activities through Jan. 29. ``You can feel it in the air. You can feel it with the people. You can feel the energy surrounding this holiday like no other.''

 

Nationwide, nearly 5,000 events are planned to match volunteers with service projects, from a winter coat and blanket drive in Lake Balboa, Calif., to an Arkansas River cleanup in Wichita, Kan., to a blood drive in Rapid City, S.D., to a day-care face-lift in Blacksburg, Va.

 

''The Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday is not only a day off, but also for the last 14 years, it has been a day on,'' said retired Gen. Colin Powell at a press conference Friday. ``It's a day to reach out to our fellow citizens in need.''

 

Closer to home, organizers with Volunteer Broward expect more than 1,500 volunteers to participate in events ranging from a book drive and wooden rocking chair drive -- which will provide refurbished chairs for area preschools -- to tree plantings and pet visits to nursing homes. Other volunteer organizations, such as churches, also are offering volunteer opportunities.

 

SLATE OF ACTIVITIES

In Miami-Dade County, local organizers kicked off their own slate of activities Friday morning with a festival at the Association for the Development of the Exceptional, or ADE, a 30-year-old agency that provides educational and vocational programs for disabled adults. The celebration included food, a raffle, basketball, a ring toss and soccer.

 

Students and faculty from the University of Miami's law school took their Traveling Carnival -- complete with bowling, a disk jockey, dancing and hula hoops -- to the festival. The carnival originally was developed to entertain youngsters, but portions of it worked well with young adults who have special needs, said Diana Sidlowski, the event organizer.

 

For 24-year-old Marinellys Torres, the highlight of the carnival was a rousing reading of King's landmark I Have a Dream speech, which left her teary-eyed and inspired.

 

''When he was saying those words, it showed a lot of meaning,'' Torres said. ``It was like the real Martin Luther King was saying the real words himself.''

 

''It's a really good message to send on the eve of the inauguration,'' said Sidlowski.

 

On Saturday, students from Barry University will plant, mulch and landscape at Town Park Village condominiums in Overtown. Arts and crafts projects are also on tap for the children who live there.

 

Volunteers with Hands on Miami will be working at Liberty Square housing project, planting trees and painting houses. At Robert King High Towers, they'll pick up trash along the shoreline.

 

SCHOOL SUPPLIES

In Broward on Saturday, people will collect school supplies for needy students. The Broward Partnership for the Homeless also will be collecting socks and underwear. And on Monday, students in Miami-Dade will paint benches with messages of peace, while Oklahoma City-based Feed The Children will distribute food at the New Birth Baptist Church, 2300 NW 135th St., starting at 3 p.m. Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade will be helping with the giveaway. In Broward on Monday, volunteers will pick up trash at the Greens of Inverrary in Lauderhill.

 

Laura Tepich, a volunteer from the UM law school's Helping Others through Pro-bono Efforts, or HOPE, program who helped organize Friday's carnival, said the election of Obama, with his message of optimism and community service, helped energize the many service projects planned throughout the weekend.

 

''At least two people were here because it was Obama's day of service,'' Tepich said.

 

The call for volunteers for a day of service isn't new. In 1994, Congress rededicated the Martin Luther King holiday to community service, in addition to its original goal of honoring the slain civil rights leader. ''Unlike past calls to service, President-elect Obama will ask Americans to do more than just offer a single day of service to their cities, towns and neighborhoods,'' the inaugural committee wrote. ``He will ask all of us to make an ongoing commitment to our communities.

 

''Never has it been more important to come together in shared purpose to tack the common challenges we face,'' the letter added.

 

To learn more about volunteer efforts in South Florida, visit www.usaservice.org, a website created by the Presidential Inaugural Committee.