I live less than a mile from historic neighborhood the house where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born and from Ebenezer Baptist Church, where he joined his father as co-pastor in 1960, and where he was laid to rest after his assassination. I’ve toured his house several times, as well as the King Center. Inevitably, I’m always inspired by the words of this peaceful, wise man, whose life continues to call us to service, the voice that reminds us, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?”
This Monday, January 18, Americans will be celebrating the life of Dr. King, Jr. Along with remembering his life, the holiday will mark the beginning of the year for service as millions of Americans honor the memory of Dr. King and answering his call to service through volunteering in their communities.
Points of Light Institute and HandsOn Network, the nation’s largest volunteer organization, are leading a call to service by hosting and engaging a MLK Day Virtual Town Hall on January 18, 2010. The call, “A Day On, Not A Day Off. Remember. Celebrate. Act.” builds upon President Obama’s call to service and to remember the legacy of Dr. King. Delta Air Lines is a proud sponsor of this event.
In addition to the MLK Day Virtual Town Hall on Monday, January 18, HandsOn Network, in collaboration with civic and service organizations and its network of 250 affiliates and 70,000 nonprofit partners, will engage more than 100,000 volunteers in 1,500 projects to solve critical problems in education, the environment, and the economy through HandsOn Network’s Get HandsOn campaign across the nation. The organization will then convene more than 150 “deliberate dialogue” discussions in cities across the nation led by mayors and HandsOn Corps members.
2009 volunteers refurbishing the Historic Prince Hall, near Ebenezer Baptist
These dialogues will be aired on MLK Day Virtual Town Hall site. As part of this Town Hall, HandsOn Atlanta will host a dialogue between Congressman John Lewis and Douglas Shipman, executive director of the Center for Civil & Human Rights Partnership. Delta Air Lines’ Scarlet-Pressley Brown, Director of External Affairs & Community Relations will also address the audience before event participants disperse to 30 local organizations to engage in service projects.
On Monday, I will be joining 160 Delta employees and their families in this Day of Service, not far from the very neighborhood where Dr. King was born. Delta employees are coming together to partner on beautification and landscaping projects at Kennedy Middle School and the New Horizon Senior Center, both located near downtown Atlanta.
In addition, Delta and American Express are hosting renovation projects in Minneapolis, Seattle, Detroit, and Memphis, TN, in honor of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. The initiative is being organized through “Travel With Your Mind,” a year-round program that unites Delta and American Express employees with students, teachers, and parents of local schools to participate in high-impact volunteer projects.
How will you be spending this day of service? As Dr. King asked, ‘What are you doing for others?”
Frank W.
Manager, Community Affairs