Kerry Rosewall hopes residents will donate their time during the Hands on Forsyth MLK Day of Service.

"From what I can see, people, while they may not be contributing as much financially, still want to give," said Rosewall, volunteer coordinator for Hands on Forsyth and its parent organization, Community Connection. "We've had great success of the county coming through for us."

Rosewall is organizing Forsyth's event, which is in its third year and part of the seventh annual Hands on Georgia effort.

The premise of the third annual event is to encourage volunteers to continue Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy of public service by spending their day off working for the community.

While optimistic, Rosewall is also realistic. She wants to maximize assistance given to the programs that need it most.

"We're doing less this year because we've got less resources," she said.

Gone this year are a hospice sewing circle event, largely because volunteers needed to know how to sew and have a sewing machine, and a military supply-packing event.

A silverware wrap has been condensed to one location, where it will be manned by about 300 Liberty Middle School sixth-graders. Game day at a local nursing home is full.

Volunteer opportunities remain for two events: a blood drive at Cumming First United Methodist Church and a Keep Forsyth County Beautiful-led Lake Lanier cleanup between Two Mile Creek Park and Browns Bridge Road.

The blood drive is set for 2 to 7 p.m. Jan. 19 at the church. The lake cleanup runs from 1 to 4 p.m.

To register for either event, contact: (770) 205-1701, Ext. 2 or www.handsonforsyth.org.