(Photo courtesy of FIUTS.org)
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?'” —Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
To answer that question, each year communities come together on the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. federal holiday to serve their neighbors and cities. Monday, January 19, 2015 will mark the 21st year of the MLK Day of Service, which takes place on the third Monday in January. It’s the only federal holiday observed as a national day of service. MLK Day is a part of United We Serve, the President’s national call to service initiative, according to NationalService.gov.
Together we can help create a global community of service. In 2014, MLK Day inspired participants to help 38,000 veterans, military families and service members receive assistance, 360,000 people receive emergency food, and 58,000 children receive tutoring and mentorship services. Hopefully, our global communities will make those figures balloon this year!
If you’re interested in joining Seeple and other volunteers across the country at volunteer opportunities, visit the National Service website and enter your location under “Find a Volunteer Opportunity.” For those of you in the NYC area, there are several events taking place on Monday, including stocking bookshelves at a Washington Heights bookshop, helping a New Jersey group pack medical supplies for under-served populations, and assisting AmeriCorps members with teaching financial literacy in the East Village. Plus, you just might run into a SIPA alumn! After all, we’re pretty big on helping the world become a better place, near and far.
While you’re volunteering, don’t forget: Since MLK Day of Service is a national holiday, Columbia University and SIPA will be closed on Monday, January 19, 2015.
