MLK Day of Service

During the 1950s and ’60s, civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. recognized the power of service to strengthen communities and achieve common goals. Initiated by Congress in 1994, King Day of Service builds on that that legacy by transforming the federal holiday honoring Dr. King into a national day of community service grounded in his teachings of nonviolence and social justice. The aim is to make the holiday a day ON, where people of all ages and backgrounds come together to improve lives, bridge social barriers, and move our nation closer to the “Beloved Community” that Dr. King envisioned. With thousands of projects planned across the country, the 2009 King Day of Service on January 19 promises to be the biggest and best ever!

This year’s King Holiday is one day before the Inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama. The President-elect will participate in community service on King Day and is asking Americans to serve on the holiday and make an ongoing commitment to service. Organizers hope the President-elect’s call to service will lead to millions of Americans honoring Dr. King through community service.

Courtesy of MLKday.gov

United Way has partnered with Epsilon Omega Chapter Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and The Greater New Haven NAACP, to bring you MLK Conference 2009, Building the Beloved Community: The Time is Now. There will be workshops for community members of all ages, speakers, and performances that are all focused on mobilizing community members and strengthening the community as a whole.

For more information, or to volunteer, click here.

For more opportunities and events, visit www.USAservice.org, or click here.