Volunteers Needed for Third Annual MLK Days of Service, January 18 to 21

Volunteer Memphis Invites Volunteers to Honor the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with “a day on, not a day off.”

MEMPHIS, Tenn., January 3, 2019 – Volunteer Memphis and Leadership Memphis invite people to participate in this year’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Days of Service opportunities, January 18 to 21, 2019. Volunteers can visit the Volunteer United partner website at http://bit.ly/MLK2019MEM to see all MLK Days of Service projects. Specific volunteer opportunities are listed by day below as well.

“Dr. King believed in a nation of freedom and justice for all and encouraged all citizens to live up to the purpose and potential of America by applying the principles of nonviolence to make this country a better place to live,” said Andrea Hill, Director of Volunteer Memphis. “MLK Days of Service are a way to transform Dr. King’s life and teachings into community action that helps solve social problems by empowering individuals, strengthening communities, and bridging barriers.”

In 2019, Volunteer Memphis is celebrating MLK Days of Service in the Mid-South by hosting several volunteer projects throughout the weekend of January 18 to 21. The 2019 initiative includes projects, partners, and volunteers across ten Mid-South counties, including Fayette, Haywood, Lauderdale, Marshall, Shelby, and Tipton counties in Tennessee; DeSoto, Tate, and Tunica counties in Mississippi; and Crittenden County in Arkansas.

Friday, January 18 – Youth and Education Day

Members of the Mid-South community can take a step forward in enhancing our service to the youth and education activities in our community. Read to a classroom, host a field day, work in an afterschool program, or work with Volunteer Memphis to create a customized experience!

Saturday, January 19 – Family and Friends Day

By popular demand, Volunteer Memphis has created a day through which families and groups of friends can help build community through volunteer service. Serve alongside family and friends. Special projects will be available for volunteers of all ages.

Sunday, January 20 – Service Sunday

Work with your church or local community centers to serve the needs of others on Sunday. Volunteer Memphis will work with faith-based institutions to create volunteer opportunities during the afternoon following your worship service.

Monday, January 21 – Community Clean Up

Volunteer Memphis is partnering with Clean Memphis and Memphis City Beautiful to host a citywide cleanup project. Participate with your neighborhood, school, church, or community center to clean up the community.

Taking place each year on the third weekend in January, MLK Days of Service are 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.

Organizations interested in joining the 2019 MLK Days of Service should contact Andrea Hill at (901) 278-0016 or ahill@volunteermemphis.org and can post MLK Days of Service projects on the Volunteer United partner website at the following link: http://bit.ly/MLK2019MEM.

2019 Sponsors for MLK Days of Service:

FedEx, Memphis Tourism, AutoZone, Sedgwick, OutFront Media, The Commercial Appeal, WMC Action News 5, Baker Donelson, Buckman, Caesars Entertainment, CHAMPION, First Tennessee Foundation, Georgia – Pacific  Memphis Cellulose, Jerry & Nina Patton Family Foundation, Pinnacle Financial Partners,  Regional One Health, Vaco

2019 Partners for MLK Days of Service:

Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club, City of Memphis, City of Memphis AmeriCorps Vista Program, Elmwood Cemetery, Highland Oaks Park, National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis City Beautiful, Clean Memphis, LiveGiveMidsouth, Leadership Bartlett, Leadership Germantown, Lupus Foundation of America – Mid-South Chapter, MENTOR Memphis Grizzlies, Memphis Light Gas & Water, Memphis Public Libraries, Memphis Tilth, Mid-South Food Bank, New Ballet Ensemble, Pink Palace Museum, St. Francis Healthcare, School Seed Foundation, Shelby County Commission, Shelby County Parks & Ground Maintenance Department, TN Department of Environment & Conservation-TN State Parks, United Way of the Mid-South, West TN Arts Council, West TN Urban Forestry Council, The Withers Collection

About Volunteer Memphis:

Volunteer Memphis builds capacity for effective volunteering and connecting people with opportunities to serve throughout Memphis and Shelby County. The organization helps individuals, families, corporate teams and community groups strengthen Memphis and the Mid-South through service at more than 300 nonprofit organizations and schools. Our volunteers are at work every day of the year tutoring and mentoring children, helping individuals and families make pathways out of poverty, improving our Memphis and Shelby County environment and more. Volunteer Memphis is an affiliate of the Hands On Network, an association of 250 volunteer service organizations across 16 countries and an action Initiative of Leadership Memphis.

About Leadership Memphis:

Leadership Memphis is a non-profit, community leadership development organization. Its mission is to prepare and mobilize leaders to work together for the good of the whole community. Founded in 1977 as The Memphis Institute of Public Responsibility, the organization has trained and graduated more than 3,000 leaders from its signature programs: Executive, FastTrack, Criminal/Juvenile Justice, and Grassroots. Its Action Initiatives are Volunteer Memphis and Graduate Memphis.