December has a way of bringing out the spirit of giving during the holiday season. People are shopping for gifts and hitting every store to catch the latest sale, all in hopes of making the eyes of the person they have bought for light up with joy.

This January, the Center for Teaching and Learning hopes to extend the spirit of giving into the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service.

Tiffany Bumpers, a UCM Americorps volunteer, is coordinating the "A Day On, Not a Day Off" day of service on Jan. 19, 2009. The goal of this day is to give the community something they can't get off a shelf, carrying Dr.

King's message that "everybody can be great because everybody can serve." Bumpers and her team of volunteers and group leaders hope to leave a lasting impact on the community.

The volunteers and group leaders will show up at a designated registration site, which at this time hasn't been confirmed, at 8:30 a.m. They will then depart and go to the service site they are assigned to, where a free continental breakfast will be served. For those who may not have transportation, Bumpers has that figured out.

"We would like for people to car pool," Bumpers said, "but if they can't find a ride, we'll find one for them."

Hoping to be armed with 150 volunteers, teams will randomly assigned to one of eight to 10 service sites. At the sites, a task will be assigned to the team by their group leader. At this time, however, more volunteers and group leaders are needed to make the day a success.

"We're looking for group leaders to be the go-to persons for the day of the event," Bumpers explained. "They'll be in charge of making sure the team completes the task assigned."

At noon, the team will be supplied with lunch, finishing the task by 3 p.m. After reflecting on their projects, the volunteers will take pictures commemorating their day of service. T-shirts will be given to the first 150 volunteers registered.

"The purpose of this day is to give back to the people of Warrensburg," Bumpers said. "The day of service has been a success in many other cities such as Philadelphia and Washington D.C., and we want it to be a success here too."

Students may register by Jan. 16, 2009 by joining the Facebook group "MLK Collegiate Challenge," or emailing Bumpers at bumpers@ucmo.edu. A table will also be set up in the Elliott Union Jan. 16, 2009 for registration.

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