On Sunday, President-elect Barack Obama called California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa to receive an update on the wildfires that have ravaged Southern California. Monday morning, we asked our supporters to help join in the relief efforts, either by volunteering or donating.

The following day, the Washington Post reported:

Barack Obama [on Monday] displayed once again the power of the vast online network he built during the presidential race, giving prominent display on his campaign and transition Web sites to efforts to help the victims of wildfires burning across Southern California.

...Obama's plea contributed to a surge in visitors to the site, a branch of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office that helps coordinate disaster relief efforts. The number of daily hits on the site increased from 15,000 Monday to 179,000 Tuesday, said Karen Baker, Schwarzenegger's secretary of service and volunteering.

Throughout the past 21 months, you've shown again and again your willingness to come together and help those in need, and this time was no different. It's a spirit that was ingrained in the campaign from the beginning, and continues on in the community that you've created.

In a speech in Iowa in December of 2007, Barack Obama explained:

I won't just ask for your vote as a candidate; I will ask for your service and your active citizenship when I am President of the United States. This will not be a call issued in one speech or program; this will be a cause of my presidency.

Relief and recovery efforts in Southern California are still underway, and you can still be take part by volunteering or by making a donation.

Visit CaliforniaVolunteers.org for more information on how you can help.