"Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope." Martin Luther King, Jr.
In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s national birthday holiday, for 26 years Americans have stepped up for the MLK National Day of Service, “a day on, not a day off.” Celebrated the third Monday in January, this is the day many citizens make time to volunteer to strengthen their communities through service.
For some, this is a continuation of the commitment they have to improving the lives of fellow Americans. They may have spent the year mentoring a young person, delivering meals to the elderly, or taking responsibility for cleaning up a public space.
Making time to volunteer for the 2021 MLK Day of Service is a great way to engage with your community while honoring the legacy of Dr. King. Volunteer service is a powerful tool that builds strong communities and it is needed now more than ever. Whatever you do, no matter how small, will make a great difference to someone in need.
It was my honor to take part in a celebration of Dr. King and his legacy, hosted by Frances Klippel, that will air over KXCR 90.7 radio in Florence, Oregon on January 18th at 4pm PST. The program highlights the service of individuals and community outreach organizations that help people in crisis—homeless and transitional students, families, and adults and victims of sexual or elder abuse and other hardships. Songs and writings by high school students and renditions of poetry relevant to Martin Luther King, Jr.’s messages, the necessity of equality, social justice, and lifting people from poverty, round out the program.
COVID-19 has had an impact on all of our lives, but there are still many ways to serve, it may just look a little different. Throughout the pandemic, we’ve witnessed people’s creativity and ingenuity as they came up with ways to get through the months of quarantine. That energy can be used to help fill a need in your community. How can you get out there (or even stay inside!) and serve?
~ xoA ~
Photo by Judy McDole
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