 In 1994 Congress passed the King Holiday and Service Act, officially designating the King Holiday as a national day of volunteer service. Instead of a day off from work or school, Congress asked Americans of all backgrounds and ages to celebrate Dr. King’s legacy by turning community concerns into citizen action. The late Coretta Scott King embraced the King Day of Service as a meaningful way to celebrate and honor her husband’s legacy. She said, “The greatest birthday gift my husband could receive is if people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds celebrated the holiday by performing individual acts of kindness through service to others.”
The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) is the agency in charge of promoting and expanding the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service nationally. CNCS does this by hosting a website (www.mlkday.gov), by providing funding support and by identifying expansion sites in each region of the country. In July 2009 CNCS announced grants to seven lead agencies to promote MLK Day of Service efforts between 2009 - 2011. These include Campus Kitchens, the Corps Network, the National Alliance of Faith and Justice, North Carolina Campus Compact, the Points of Light Institute, Service for Peace and Youth Service America.
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What is the MLK Day of Service? |