CHICAGO -- Barack Obama's unofficial "First Team" didn't take long to heed the words and plans coming from the 44th President of the United States.

In response to Obama's call for Americans to better their communities through community service, the White Sox are encouraging their fans and community-focused Chicagoans to join together in creating a special new White Sox volunteer corps. The White Sox will organize community service events during 2009 that will incorporate support from the organization, players, staff and members of the new volunteer group.

The White Sox already have a robust community relations agenda and an incredibly strong fan support system, having raised approximately $1.5 million through White Sox Charities last year that finds its way back to deserving non-profit organizations. But with Obama's words ringing true, the White Sox have looked at ways to take another step up with the team and fans working together to give back to the Chicagoland area.

"As I said yesterday, we are all basking in the glow of what happened with President Obama," White Sox senior director of community relations Christine O'Reilly said. "It was one of the most unbelievable moments in American history for so many of us.

"It was like when the White Sox won the World Series and how special it was for everyone alive who hadn't seen it before. There are generations who didn't see an American Renaissance like this one.

"Right now, we are celebrating the man," O'Reilly said. "But we also are taking a step back and listening to all he said during the campaign. So much of what he said was about how you can make a difference. Look at yourself and your community. He has raised the bar, and now we are trying to step up the best we can."

O'Reilly pointed out how the Obamas were working at a food pantry on Thanksgiving and had done that same thing for years. Their lives are about community spirit and giving, a cue the White Sox intend to take and run with in the near future.

Where the White Sox are concerned, this scenario really is about taking a great situation and making it better. White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf expects his players to give to the community, and a number of the White Sox players already have charitable endeavors of their own. Thanks to Obama's words, though, it's now about taking what is strongly in place and making it even better for the White Sox.

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"Sports organizations have a responsibility to give back to their communities," said Reinsdorf in a press release to announce this initiative. "And it is a responsibility the White Sox take very seriously. President Obama has called upon all Americans to grow a spirit of service toward our cities and our community. 

"Taking President Obama's charge to heart, we believe a volunteer corps, centered on the White Sox and our existing relationships in the Chicago community, can be a very powerful force for change. We are asking White Sox fans to join us in this community-wide initiative."

Fans can become the very first to sign up to volunteer beginning Wednesday at whitesox.com/servechicago. These volunteers will be called upon to join team members at special service events during the 2009 baseball season and offseason.

For updates on scheduled service events or for more information on White Sox community service efforts and their charity partners, fans also can visit whitesox.com/servechicago.

Whether it is a park clean up on the West Side or a blood drive where a few thousand people show up to give blood, the White Sox hope to move their fans to give a little bit more than their already generous contributions. It's the first move of what figures to be many tips of the proverbial cap to the team's most prominent fan.

"We don't have all the I's dotted and T's crossed, but we've had a number of creative sessions," O'Reilly said. "Registering people online gives us the opportunity to communicate with everyone quickly and broadly. They can contribute through sweat equity or show support by being carriers of the messages.

"There are a lot of different ways and different levels we feel this community team can work for everyone. It's an opportunity to be on the front end of something and doing what it takes to get people engaged.

"It's about the mission," O'Reilly said. "And if it resonates with one more person, then we've been successful."