MLK National Day Of Service

Cary, NC – Next week, the nation celebrates Martin Luther King Day, and many businesses and schools will be closed Monday Jan 21. For many people, its a time of reflection about the man who made such a difference in the American Civil Rights Movement. It is also a time to give back through community service.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?'”

Each year, Americans across the country answer that question by coming together on the King Holiday to serve their neighbors and communities.

National Day Of Service History

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 national Martin Luther King Day of Service was started by former Pennsylvania U.S. Senator Harris Wofford and Atlanta Congressman John Lewis, who co-authored the King Holiday and Service Act. The federal legislation challenges Americans to transform the King Holiday into a day of citizen action volunteer service in honor of Dr. King. The federal legislation was signed into law by President Bill Clinton on August 23, 1994.

In Cary you can get involved by joining Town volunteers and staff in a trail restoration and clean-up at the Middle Creek Community Center. The Town’s event is hosted by the Spruce program.   From picking up litter, to sorting recyclables, to trail maintenance on the disc golf course, hundreds of volunteers will come together to participate in this project.

For MLK Day last year in the Town of Cary 256 volunteers worked a collective 512 hours of service to collect 260 pounds of litter and spread 144 yards of mulch.  We look forward to seeing what we can accomplish together in 2013.

Join with communities across the nation to get to work on building a stronger community through service. For families this can be a wonderful way to lead by example that our communities grow stronger when we work together to make them beautiful.

Get Involved

For more information visit the Town’s Spruce webpage or contact Sarah Justice : Phone: (919) 469-4301 or email: sarah.justice@townofcary.org.

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Photo from WikiPedia.