Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service

January 19, 2009 - Make it a Day On...Not a Day Off!

During the 1950s and ’60s, civil rights icon Martin Luther King, Jr. recognized the power of service to strengthen communities and achieve common goals. As he once said, “Everybody can be great because everybody can serve.”

Initiated by Congress in 1994, King Day of Service honors that legacy by transforming the federal holiday honoring Dr. King into a national day of community service grounded in his teachings of nonviolence and social justice. Instead of its being just another day off from school or work, the aim is to make the holiday it a day ON, where people of all ages and backgrounds can come together to strengthen their community, bridge social barriers, and move our nation closer to the “Beloved Community” that Dr. King envisioned.

King Day of Service has grown steadily since its inception. With thousands of projects planned in all 50 states, the 2009 King Day of Service promises to be the biggest and best ever. This year Maine has projects from Kennebunk to Houlton!

Join in the effort by planning your own project locally or by taking part in one the the existing projects.

Find a project in your area and make it a day ON!

Winners From Kennenbunk to Houlton Were Selected:

Top Two Will Receive Time Warner Cable Matching Funds Totaling $700:

- Portland, The University of Southern Maine Office of Community Service and Civic Engagement

- Houlton, The Houlton High School Civil Rights Team

Awardees Will Receive $350 in Support of Their Project:

- Bangor, The Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine

- Waldoboro, The University of Maine Cooperative Extension Knox-Lincoln 4-H Program

- Portland, Goodwill of Northern New England and the Community Resource Corps

- Waterville, The HealthReach Network and HealthReach RSVP- Download the brochure.

- Freeport, The Freeport Student Aspirations Partnership and the Freeport School Department

- Portland, Portland West

- Lebanon, The Lebanon Volunteer Rescue Department

- Kennebunk, River Tree Arts

Read the press release for more information on individual projects.

Resources:

• Project Ideas

• Planning Your Project
  

• Register your MLK Day of Service Project on MLKDay.gov (CNCS)
  

• Attract Local Participation and Register our Project on VolunteerMaine

• Marketing Materials and Resources

• Discuss Projects and Chronicle your Reflections on VolunteerMaine's Peer2Peer Forums

• Award Application Instructions

• Award Application