Today may be a day off but let’s make it a day on by volunteering in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.!
MLK Day of Service provides an opportunity to highlight the importance of how ordinary individuals can volunteer their time to help make their communities a better place. Today, United Way is proud to join thousands of Americans on MLK Day of Service to renew our commitment to helping students succeed. Sometimes all it takes is a caring individual to make the difference between a graduate and a dropout. Take the pledge to become a volunteer readers, tutors or mentor today.
United Way believes that education is the cornerstone of individual and community success. It is also critical in improving equality, social justice and economic opportunity -issues of great importance to Dr. King. In 2008, United Way launched a 10-year initiative to cut by half the number of young people who drop out of high school by 2018. Building on this work and in honor of MLK Day we invite individuals to take action today by learning more and pledging to join us in improving the education of America’s kids!
Communities across the country are getting involved today with United Way by hosting a variety of local volunteer activities such as the following:
Portsmouth, NH - United Way of Greater Seacoast is hosting a volunteer readers training to help get more caring adults engaged with young people.
Seattle, WA - United Way of King County is partnering on a number of local projects that will help improve the Seattle community through the support of more than a thousand volunteers. For example, volunteers will be helping to winterize and increase the energy efficiency for a local school.
Morrisville, NC - United Way of the Greater Triangle is hosting projects in Johnston, Durham, Orange and Wake counties to collect and sort diapers, new undergarments, gently used or new clothes and non-perishable food. Learn more here.
Santa Rosa, CA - United Way of the Wine Country is partnering with Americorps VISTA, the Volunteer Center of Sonoma, and Community Action Partnership of Sonoma to spread the word about our Earn It, Keep It, Save It, free tax preparation program. Youth and adult volunteers will be canvassing two low-income neighborhoods in Santa Rosa, California with information about the tax prep program. Learn more here.
Columbus, OH – United Way of Central Ohio is hosting an event to help inform and invite community members to “Commit to the Dream” by considering a role as a volunteer mentor.
Silicon Valley, CA – United Way Silicon Valley is “Keeping the Dream Alive” on MLK Day with volunteers who will support K-12 teachers in the Bay Area and their students. Volunteers will participate in projects to help create hands-on literacy kits to use in the classroom that serve to engage and inspire children to learn.
Lancaster, PA – United Way of Lancaster County has helped coordinate volunteers across the County to assist with tasks, projects and special activities that answer Dr. King’s call to service. For example, individuals may help with fitness programs at senior care centers, tutoring children at a local women and children’s center, and much more.
Findlay, OH - United Way of Hancock County is sponsoring local partners to host “Plant a Dream – Grow a Community”, a project aimed to inspire children to be agents of change through service and volunteerism. Volunteers today will assist with a food drive and gardening activities for children.