After a long struggle, legislation was signed in 1983 creating a federal holiday marking the birthday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
In 1994, Congress designated the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday as a national day of service and charged the Corporation for National and Community Service with leading this effort. The MLK Day of Service is a part of United We Serve, the President's national call to service initiative. It calls for Americans from all walks of life to work together to provide solutions to our most pressing national problems. The MLK Day of Service empowers individuals, strengthens communities, bridges barriers, creates solutions to social problems, and moves us closer to Dr. King's vision of a "Beloved Community."
The Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service is a day meant to empower individuals, strengthen communities, bridge barriers, create solutions to social problems, and move us closer to Dr. King’s vision of a "beloved community."
Volunteer to take action in our community.
This year there are 24 participating nonprofits in need of volunteers to address local community needs.
Many opportunities are marked Family-Friendly, where serving together as a family is encouraged. Age appropriateness varies by opportunity, click an opportunity below for more specific info and to register.
Visit https://www.volunteernewyork.org/mlk to register.
For questions, please call 914-948-4452.
Here are a few in our area:
Paint A Children's Learning Center
with Green Chimneys
in Carmel on Saturday, January 14th from 10am-1pm
Family-Friendly for ages 14+
The project will entail painting an interior office and lower room of the special needs learning center at Clearpool. The Clearpool education Center partners with school districts, educational institutions and community organizations to provide year-round environmental and wildlife exploration programs and activities for nearly 10,000 students each year.
with Child Advocacy Center of Putnam County
in Brewster on Saturday, January 14th from 9am-11am
Family-Friendly for ages 10+ with an adult
Please note: This project was designed specifically for youth volunteers (children and young teens) and families to encourage volunteerism at a young age.
"CAC Pinwheel Pots" feature beautiful blue and silver pinwheels that symbolize what we want for every child - a safe, healthy, and carefree childhood. Join us as we create "gardens" in beautiful decorative planters. Volunteers will fill, glue and arrange the pinwheels in the pots.
with Somers Manor Nursing Home
in Somers on Saturday, January 14th from 2pm-4pm
Family-Friendly for ages 5+ with an adult
Spend some time with the residents of Somers Manor, interacting with them as you help bring them to the community room where they will sing songs and play some rounds of the popular game, Jingo. Take a moment to spread some sunshine to these residents and maybe even hear some of their stories of Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy!