By Kathy Greenlee, Assistant Secretary for Aging and Administrator of ACL
January 21, 2013 will be a very special federal holiday. It marks both the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) Day of Service and the second inauguration of President Obama. In addition, 2013 is the year that Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech turns 50. The official version of the speech is available at: http://www.archives.gov/press/exhibits/dream-speech.pdf.
The MLK Day of Service is the only federal holiday observed as a national day of service – a “day on, not a day off.” This observance empowers individuals, strengthens communities, and moves us closer to Dr. King’s vision of a “Beloved Community.”
Take the initiative to get involved in community service on January 21st. Regardless of your age, background or ability, you can serve. All types of service are encouraged, such as helping your community recover from disaster, serving meals to a homebound senior or helping to cleanup a neighborhood. Choose an activity that is important to you so your one day of service might turn into ongoing service throughout the year. Where and how you serve is up to you. The important thing is to get involved.
The MLK Day of Service website at http://mlkday.gov will help you find or plan a project in your community. Just fill in your zip code in the Find a Project box to locate a volunteer opportunity in your community or plan your own project.
By working together to address unmet needs, we can help to strengthen our communities, create solutions to social problems, and move us closer to Dr. King’s vision of a “Beloved Community.”