Posts Tagged ‘Martin Luther King Jr. Day’

Serve for a Cause

Thursday, January 12th, 2012

Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Anyone can be great because everybody can serve.” It can be easy for a volunteer to question the difference they can make. What can really change in an afternoon of volunteering? A lot.posed girl on ladder paints

Points of Light’s MLK Day of Service is just one example of how the community can change in one afternoon. On Monday, January 16th thousands of volunteers of all ages, races, ethnicity, religion and gender will band together to make one movement that will leave a huge impact on our nation. This year we have approximately 300 service projects that will cover a wide range of impact areas such as environment, education, homelessness and hunger, and disaster relief efforts.

US Poverty Rate ChartWith the declining economy and 46.2 million people living in poverty in the United States (according to the US Census Bureau, the need for volunteers is greater than ever. MLK Day of Service engages over 220,000 volunteers in just one day. One hour of volunteer labor is worth $21.36 in the United States (as estimated by The Independent Sector). This MLK Day of Service, volunteers will contribute approximately $14.1 million worth of service back to communities.

The impact that our volunteers will make on Monday will mean more than just money. It will mean a warm meal in an empty stomach, a more beautiful park for our children to enjoy, smiling senior citizens at a retirement home, a new home for a family that dreamed of one, a day of fun for children, and communities joining together to help one another.Martin Luther King, Jr.

That is exactly what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. meant when he said anybody can be great. It is easy to look at an afternoon of volunteering as just one afternoon, but that one afternoon could mean the world to someone in need.

How will you celebrate that contribution this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day? Let us know in the comments below!

Dr. King’s Challenge: What Are You Doing for Others?

Friday, January 6th, 2012

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

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a civil rights leader whose actions sparked a national movement. The 13 years he dedicated to civil rights activities ignited concern and conscience within our country’s citizens. His courage and selfless devotion were undeniable, and for this his legacy continues to inspire Points of Light and volunteers around the world.

Just four days after the assassination of the civil rights icon, legislation was proposed to make his birthday an official holiday. It took nearly 20 years and countless politicians to gather enough public support to receive Congressional support, and the day was first officially observed in 1986.

Martin Luther King, Jr. SpeechDuring his lifetime Dr. King worked tirelessly toward a dream of equality. He believed in a nation of freedom and justice for all, and encouraged all citizens to live up to the purpose and potential of America. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service is a way to transform Dr. King’s life and teachings into community service that helps solve problems. MLK Day programs meet tangible needs, such as revitalizing schools and feeding the homeless; but also build a sense of community and mutual responsibility by spurring conversation. On this day, Americans of every age and background celebrate Dr. King through volunteering and unite to strengthen communities, empower individuals, and bridge barriers.

There are many ways to celebrate MLK Day in your community, whether you’re leading a local nonprofit, organizing an event with your family or an elementary school student looking to make a difference.

Inspired by the legacy of Dr. King, America’s Sunday Supper invites people from diverse backgrounds to come together and share a meal, discuss issues that affect their community and highlight the power each one of us has to make a difference. These family and community suppers unite individuals for dinner and dialogue in the restaurants, coffee shops, community centers, faith-based organizations, and homes across the country. Leading up to MLK Day, individuals will participate in a community-by-community, nationwide conversation about our country’s most pressing social issues related to hunger, homelessness, and poverty.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

When individuals reach across differences in economic, ethnic, racial, and religious identities, meaningful and mutually beneficial relationships with neighbors can occur. A sense of community is gained by neighbors working together on projects, resulting in stronger civic engagement and bringing us all closer to Dr. King’s legacy.

How will you honor Dr. King with your service this upcoming MLK Day? Let us know in the comments below!

Focusing on the Giving in Thanksgiving: The Postducken Update

Friday, December 2nd, 2011

Michael Nealis, Interactive Strategy Coordinator at Points of LightToday’s post comes from Michael Nealis, Interactive Strategy Coordinator for Points of Light.

Last week I talked about a Thanksgiving tradition that my best friend Marc and I started a few years ago. We started getting together with our really close friends for Thanksgiving because my parents lived far away from where I was and his parents usually traveled for the holiday.

Over the years our Thanksgiving dinner has expanded in size; both in the number of guests and the amount of food. This year was the first year that the guest list ended up being fifty people, and it was the first time hosting the meal at Marc’s home instead of his parents’ house.

Misty and I were excited by the turducken.

So, with all of the firsts, we decided to add one more first to the mix. It was the first year that we decided to add an element of do-gooding to the mix.

We asked our guests to bring a donation for the Freestore Foodbank in Cincinnati so we could help other people in Cincinnati enjoy the holidays as much as we do.

The turducken emerges from the oven!

Overall, the dinner was a great experience from Turducken prep to dropping off a check for $150 at the Freestore Foodbank. We learned a few lessons about hosting a lot of people, leading dinner conversations, and crowdsourcing donations for a cause.

Be prepared for things to not go as planned. Anyone that works with volunteers knows that something is eventually going to go wrong that you never thought of. We thought that we had thought of anything that could go wrong; we had a backup meal plan, fire extinguishers, we tested all of the circuit breakers, made sure there would be enough seating, food, drinks, and space for everyone to eat at.

One thing we hadn’t thought of was that Marc lives somewhere that directions include “turn off of the paved road,” that some map sites might confuse “Old State Route 133″ with “State Route 133,” and that my cell phone doesn’t get service at Marc’s house.

Lesson learned: Make sure that everyone that’s coming to your event has correct directions to the event!

Conversations can’t be forced, but they can be seeded. In addition to collecting donations, we wanted to see if we could get people talking about why were collecting the donations – why so many people in Cincinnati need to go to the food bank to get food to help feed themselves and their families. While not a lot of people talked about hunger issues directly, there was a great conversation about how kids learn to what to eat at home and in schools, and how school lunches can help to teach healthy eating habits.

Lesson learned: If you’re hosting an America’s Sunday Supper for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, your conversations might not go just how you hope. That doesn’t mean that you won’t find somewhere to start making a change in your community!

Shoot for the moon, and don’t worry if you miss. Marc and I were really excited as we looked over the final guest list. We had asked people to bring ten dollars for the Freestore Foodbank if they had the extra cash. Between not everyone being able to make it to dinner and some people being in a tight spot, we didn’t hit our goal for donations but we did collect money that’s going to help families in crisis.

Lesson learned: It was awesome to have a goal even if it may have been too ambitious. We didn’t meet our goal, but we did help the food bank to help more families. It’s important to set goals, but don’t get discouraged if you end up not being able to meet them. You can always try again, and what you do accomplish is helpful and appreciated!

Marc thinks that turducken, and helping people, are delicious.

 

Did you have an awesome Thanksgiving? Are you making plans for America’s Sunday Supper on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day? Let us know about your plans in the comments!

All of the awesome pictures of Turduckenfest 2011 are courtesy of the great Nicholas Viltrakis, who is known to take a picture or three.

Change Notes: MLK Day 2011 Highlights

Friday, February 4th, 2011

"Volunteer"

Friends,

As we continue to tally the impact of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service last month, I wanted to highlight some results and share with you how we are carrying Dr. King’s vision forward through two recently launched initiatives that continue to build on the strategy of service as a solution.

Martin Luther King Jr., Day of Service

More than 120,000 people volunteered in 4,900 projects through HandsOn Network, the volunteer arm of Points of Light Institute, for the 2011 Martin Luther King Jr., Day of Service. Our Community Cinemas and Sunday Supper programming drew an additional 5,000 participants. In the realm of social media, our Martin Luther King Jr. Day messages potentially reached an audience of 7 million through Facebook, Twitter and the HandsOn Blog.

Many stories came out of this day of national engagement, like the one we received from Lyndsay Tyree, an AmeriCorps VISTA member in Issaquah, Washington. Lyndsay was scheduled to lead a project on MLK Day for 40 volunteers at a local organization serving the homeless.  But just 24 hours before the start time, unexpected flooding caused the project to be cancelled. Lyndsay now had 40 eager volunteers, and no place for them to serve.

With assistance from Katie Weber, another AmeriCorps member Lyndsay had met at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service, the group was quickly connected with Seattle Works. Even with an extremely short turnaround time, Seattle Works was able to place Lyndsay and her 40 volunteers on a project at Rose Hedge, an organization that provides transitional housing and health care to those living with HIV and AIDS.

The day, which had threatened to prove unproductive for Lyndsay’s team, ended up being a moving experience for them all. While working at Rose Hedge, many of the volunteers got the opportunity to speak with men and women living with HIV and AIDS. By the end of the day, the team was touched and changed by their interaction and work on the project.

This story illustrates the importance of connections and relationships, and speaks to the power of a robust service Network. Hands On Network, through its volunteers, AmeriCorps members, the National Conference on Volunteering and Service all build a powerful infrastructure for action

Follow the Leader

In order to channel the energy and engagement of Martin Luther King Jr. Day into a deeper and more consistent commitment to volunteering, Points of Light recently launched Follow the Leader, an innovative campaign driven by a thriving online community.

By simply registering for Follow the Leader at www.gethandson.com, members gain access to official Project Playbooks. These step-by-step guides, for some of the most successfully implemented volunteer projects, let anyone start, manage and complete a high impact project.

To inspire activity in Follow the Leader, we are offering some extraordinary incentives, including an all expense paid trip for two to the Philippines for a one week “Volunteer Vacation” coordinated by HandsOn Manila.

Overall, Follow the Leader, which runs through May, will help us reach more service minded people, increase and mobilize the number of Americans involved in volunteer service, and magnify the power of service as a solution.

As always, we value your ongoing support to help people take action to change the world.

In Service,

Michelle Nunn

CEO, Points of Light Institute, and Co-Founder, HandsOn Network

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Follow the Leader

In order to channel the energy and engagement of Martin Luther King Jr. Day into a deeper and more consistent commitment to volunteering, Points of Light recently launched Follow the Leader, an innovative campaign driven by a thriving online community.

By simply registering for Follow the Leader at www.gethandson.com, members gain access to official Project Playbooks. These step-by-step guides, for some of the most successfully implemented volunteer projects, let anyone start, manage and complete a high impact project.

To inspire activity in Follow the Leader, we are offering some extraordinary incentives, including an all expense paid trip for two to the Philippines for a one week “Volunteer Vacation” coordinated by HandsOn Manila.

Overall, Follow the Leader, which runs through May, will help us reach more service minded people, increase and mobilize the number of Americans involved in volunteer service, and magnify the power of service as a solution.

Day of Service Inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr.

Friday, January 28th, 2011

Today’s post originally appeared on the HandsOn Jacksonville Blog on January 26, 2011.

HandsOn Jacksonville and the Teacher Supply Depot hosted a day of family fun and volunteering on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  Grown ups and kids alike had fun painting flower pots for seniors and making recyclable bags for beach cleanups.  There were craft stations set up all over the old school which houses the supply depot, including doll and bracelet making.

The Teacher’s Supply Depot is a nonprofit that gathers donated goods and hosts give-aways for district schools. Teachers, principals and PTAs can come get paper, educational material, art supplies and much more for free!

The entire building is full of amazing supplies with a room dedicated just for crafts and ideas for projects posted on the bulletin boards. It’s hard not to get inspired to create something while walking through the halls.

After the pictures were painted and crafts were made the History Channel’s documentary film King was shown in honor of MLK Jr. Day because even though everyone had fun painting, gluing and crafting it was good to remember why we were there. The legacy of Dr. King inspires us to do something GOOD every chance we get and there’s no harm in having a little fun while we’re at it, right?

Today’s post was written by Emilee Speck, an intern for HandsOn Jacksonville and journalism major at the University of North Florida.  To find out more about HandsOn Jacksonville, please visit their website.

Make the Most of Every Opportunity

Thursday, January 27th, 2011

Today’s post comes from Anna Hoyt, an AmeriCorps VISTA serving with the C4 Network.

When I think about all the meaningful phrases, quotes, and challenges that I have heard in my life so far, I’m not exactly at a loss for material. I like to read inspiring books, attend seminars, listen to podcasts, and spend time with wise people who have lived longer than I have in hopes of gaining greater insight on this thing called life.

You could say I’m a personal development junkie. With all this great wisdom being poured into my life, you might expect me to give you dozens of meaningful one-liners, right? Well, not today. I just want to share one which has made a significant change for the better in my life. I read this in a book many years ago, and my parents would also say it to me growing up as a kid; “Make the most of every opportunity.”

I had a chance to put this principle into play recently on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The plan for my day was to participate in a service project with a local organization that included cleaning up an area of the city and doing various projects outdoors with a group of over 1,000 individuals.

I was so excited to participate in an MLK Day service project for the first time in my life. Unfortunately, the plan for the day quickly changed when the phone rang, as I was at home getting ready on the morning of MLK Day. I heard the unwelcomed news that due to flooding in the region, the service project was cancelled. My eager and hopeful mindset shifted in about 30 seconds.

I then recalled this powerful challenge I have lived by for many years now, make the most of every opportunity. This was not going to be a wasted day, or a day off for me.

I resolved to find a way to utilize my resources to make the day of service successful. Through the network that HandsOn and AmeriCorps provide, I was able to call up another AmeriCorps member serving in another part of the Seattle area who was coordinating a completely different project. She invited me to join in her effort to clean transitional homes for AIDS victims moving from the crisis of homelessness to self-sufficiency through a local organization. I had an incredible day serving alongside fellow community members and sharing in a great day of service to honor Martin Luther King Jr. What could have been a very discouraging day resulted in a new opportunity to partner with others and make a real impact in our community.

I’ve learned that the challenge to make the most of every opportunity can be a statement that you read once and never think about again; or it could be something more.

It could become the way you live.

Instead of looking at a frustrating coworker as a hindrance to our workday, we can start seeing it as a chance to learn to live based on the virtue that we ought to be kind rather than act how we feel. Rather than viewing our packed schedule as busy, we can see that we have the opportunity to learn how to create healthy boundaries. Instead of looking at the devastating economic challenges of our neighbors who have no home as someone else’s problem, we can see them as an opportunity to make a difference ourselves and get involved.

Whatever opportunities you are given are yours to do with what you choose. My advice. Make something great of what you have. You don’t know if you’ll get another chance just like it again. Each day. Each opportunity. Make it count. Make it a win for others, and it will be a win for everyone.

Anna serves as an AmeriCorps VISTA member through the HandsOn Network with an organization called The C4 Group. She bases out of Seattle, but works nationally to implement a community engagement model called The Care Strategy in five different cities across the United States, by partnering with five other AmeriCorps VISTA members who serve in various faith based organizations.

Let Us Turn Our Thoughts Today to Martin Luther King…

Monday, January 17th, 2011

On January 16, 2011, a new American tradition was started.  Inspired by the legacy of Dr. King, America’s Sunday Supper invited people from diverse backgrounds to come together to share a meal and discuss issues that affect their community and the possible actions they can take and highlighting the power each one of us has to make a difference.

You can watch America’s Sunday Supper below!  Let us know about your service projects on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, your own Sunday Supper event, or how you think service can address community issues in the comments below.

You’re Invited to Our Sunday Supper

Tuesday, January 11th, 2011

You’re invited to a special virtual dinner with Michelle Nunn, CEO of Points of Light Institute and Co-Founder of HandsOn Network, Arianna Huffington, Co-Founder of the Huffington Post, Olympic Legend Carl Lewis, Fox News commentator Juan Williams, NBA Legend Dikembo Mutombo and others on January 16.  The best part, you won’t have to do the dishes!  Join your fellow citizens, celebrities and service leaders across the country in conversations and online dialogues about service and the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King.  Sound hard?  It’s not.  It’s as easy as Kraft Mac and Cheese, fun like Facebook and wittier than Twitter.  We are asking you to do one of the following:

  • Host a potluck on January 16.  Not into lucky pots? How about Donuts and Coffee or Brunch or Cocoa and Crepes or Ice Cream or…   No idea what to talk about?  We have that covered for you.  Click here for the conversation cards. Ready. Set. Go!  Click here to register your event.
  • Share the HandsOn Network Facebook event on your Facebook page and invite all your fans and friends to attend.  Click here to visit our event page and attend.
  • Watch America’s Sunday Supper on January 16.  You can watch the live web broadcast here.

HandsOn Network affiliates across the country are holding Sunday Suppers, too.  Here’s what a few of them are doing:

The Volunteer Center of LeHigh Valley will be partnering with the Easton Area School District to educate and inspire youth volunteers.  This project is designed to give the older students an opportunity to help educate the elementary school children about tolerance, perseverance and community service, while providing the elementary school students with outstanding role models who encourage them to work hard and dream big.

The Volunteer Center of the Virginia Peninsula in partnership with the RISE Project staff will be hosting a special day of activities to celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  It will be a day of presentations, volunteer activities, Safe Assured IDs for children and seniors, and will include a very special speaker, Dr. A. Terry Morris of NASA.

The Volunteer Center of Greensboro is partnering with Guilford County Schools to engage in a county-wide youth service extravaganza on January 17: MLK Jr. Day of Service.  The VC will bring together the nonprofit community and the district’s student base of over 71,000 to impact Guilford County. Students will be empowered to define and address needs in their communities by developing meaningful service projects.

Greater DC Cares, supported by Target, will lead 300 volunteers and Members of Congress in MLK Day discussions and preparation of literacy and warming kits at Tyler Elementary School, along with over 2,000 volunteers at 30 other sites around the DC area.

Hands On Atlanta will host a full day of activities to include: a Freedom Rally, Community Conversation Forums, an Oxfam Hunger Banquet and a food drive/packing effort to feed 10,000 metro-Atlanta families. The Freedom Rally will kick off the celebration of Dr. King’s life and legacy via music, dance, and a generational talk.  The talk will feature Georgia State Senator Jason Carter. Over 800 AmeriCorps/VISTA members and more than 2,000 metro-Atlantans are expected to participate in the day’s events.

Let us know what your plans for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday are, either in the comments, on Twitter using #MLKDay, sharing your story, or writing a guest post about your service!

The Road To Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: Sunday Suppers

Monday, January 3rd, 2011

We’ve come out on the other side of a month of holiday meals full of cornbread stuffing and sage and into a brand new year full of possibilities and challenges, opportunities to test our mettle and lean on our friends, and chances to make changes big and small in our lives and the lives of others.

Do you know how to start making those changes?  Do you know where?  Do you know what kind of change your community is aching for?

We’re hoping that you have one more holiday dinner in you.  This one doesn’t have to have cornbread stuffing, though.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is only three weeks away, and on the Sunday before the holiday, we’re asking community members to come together to talk about their community’s most pressing needs and how to start working to address those needs.

These Sunday Suppers are a great opportunity to start taking the first steps towards creating a beloved community; an integrated community of love and justice where people can come together in brotherhood.

We’re not asking you to do all of this alone.  You can find people in your community who want to start a positive change at the Sunday Supper Meetup page.  If you can’t find a supper near you, you can sign up to host your own.  Sunday Supper’s don’t have to be at your home, you can plan one in a community space that’s open to anyone like a coffee shop or community center.  You don’t have to provide the food yourself, either.  Make your Sunday Supper a potluck and ask everyone to bring something or hold your Sunday Supper in a restaurant.

Our Sunday Supper Toolkit and Conversation Cards are great resources to help you have a successful event.  Use them when you’re planning your event and to start conversations at your Sunday Supper.

Use the Sunday Supper as an opportunity to host a watching party for America’s Sunday Supper.  America’s Sunday Supper is being held at the Newsuem in Washington, DC and is bringing together Michelle Nunn, CEO of Points of Light Institute and Co-Founder of HandsOn Network, Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post, Robert Egger, President of the DC Central Kitchen, Dikembe Mutombo, former NBA player for the Houston Rockets, and other service leaders to talk about national issues and how community service can help address those issues.

America’s Sunday Supper will be streamed live from the Newseum.  Find out how to watch here.

Let us know about  your plans for Sunday Suppers in the comments!

Thanks to Kraft Foods for their generous support of America’s Sunday Supper.

The Road to Marting Luther King, Jr. Day: Tools You Can Use

Monday, December 20th, 2010

There are a lot of resources available for all of your Martin Luther King, Jr. Day projects.  Whether you’re volunteering on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with a local nonprofit, planning a volunteer project of your own, or aren’t quite sure what to do, we have something you can use to make serving on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day a better experience for you and the organizations you’re serving with.

We even have ways to participate in events that highlight Dr. King’s vision of a beloved community, and that don’t have to take place on January 17, 2011 in case you can’t devote the day to service.

On Sunday, January 16, people will come together across the nation for a Sunday Supper.  A meal hosted by someone who wants to bring together community members to talk about the problems facing their community and how to solve them.  Sunday Suppers are being held at people’s homes and community gathering places.  They’re meals prepared by the host, pot luck suppers, and dinners in restaurants.  Overall, they’re an opportunity to come together to start making change in communities across the nation.

Sunday Suppers are also being held to bring people together to watch America’s Sunday Supper; a meal with service leaders from across the nation talking about how community service can help solve the problems facing our communities and nation.  Michelle Nunn, CEO of Points of Light Institute, Dikembe Mutombo, Robert Egger, founder and President of DC Central Kitchen, and others will come together to talk about how community service can be the solution to our communities’ problems.

Community Cinema events are happening across the country, and you can .  The films featured at the Community Cinemas highlight the impact of individuals on their communities.  It’s a great place to start the conversation about how you can make a change in your community.

If you’re planning your own service project, we have step-by-step plans for creating and implementing your own service project and a toolbox full of planning aids.

You can even find tools and activities to help get families and youth involved in service on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  There are tips for bringing service-learning to the classroom, resources to help teach youth about giving and volunteerism, and fun activities to help youth learn about Dr. King and his work.

Tell us about your Martin Luther King, Jr. Day service projects in the comments, and let us know what resources you need.