AmeriCorps members and Habitat for Humanity mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day with community service
ATLANTA (Jan. 13, 2012) —More than 390 AmeriCorps National and AmeriCorps VISTA members will work alongside volunteers from 109 Habitat affiliates Monday to recognize the 2012 Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.
“Dr. King’s dream of a beloved community inspires us as we seek to bring people together to improve living conditions all around the world,” said Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International. “We urge volunteers to participate in the Day of Service as a means to build homes, communities and hope.”
As part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, Habitat for Humanity is asking volunteers and affiliates to “make it a day on” by serving the community, honoring Dr. King’s legacy or reflecting on his teachings. Habitat-related events are part of the national MLK Day of Service, led by the Corporation for National and Community Service in collaboration with the King Center.
Taking place each year on the third Monday in January, the Martin Luther King Jr. Day is the only federal holiday observed as a national day of service. The MLK Day of Service is a part of United We Serve, President Barack Obama’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 and move us closer to Dr. King’s vision of a beloved community.
The following is a sample of activities that will be hosted by Habitat affiliates nationwide to honor Dr. King:
- New Haven, Conn. – Habitat and community volunteers will help with the construction of two new Habitat homes.
- Santa Fe, N.M. - Habitat AmeriCorps members and staff are working at a local homeless shelter for the third year.
- Summit, N.J. - Morris Habitat for Humanity is dedicating six housing units in Summit, N.J.
- Austin, Texas - Habitat AmeriCorps members will volunteer at the local animal shelter and develop a plan for recycling scrap building lumber.
- Washington, D.C. - Habitat will host a build day in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Volunteers from three different faiths will join in building homes with four homebuyer families.
- Kansas City, Mo. - Habitat AmeriCorps members will assist in serving a meal at City Union Mission, which has half of the emergency shelter beds in downtown Kansas City.
- Chattanooga, Tenn. - Community volunteers will work alongside AmeriCorps members to build a Habitat for Humanity home in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
- Dallas - HFH veteran-focused AmeriCorps VISTA members, alongside other AmeriCorps members and the community, will renovate a bathroom for a Vietnam veteran to make it ADA accessible.
During 2011’s MLK Day of Service, hundreds of thousands of Americans joined together to volunteer across the country. More than 10,000 service projects took place in all 50 states, addressing a multitude of social issues from poverty and hunger to homelessness and relief efforts.
For a full list of volunteer opportunities for the 2012 MLK Day of Service, visit Serve.gov/mlkday.
About Habitat for Humanity National Service Programs
Habitat for Humanity AmeriCorps members have performed more than 5 million hours of service, engaged hundreds of thousands of volunteers and helped build more than 8,500 Habitat houses throughout the United States. For information about AmeriCorps programs, visit www.habitat.org/americorps or www.americorps.gov.
About the Corporation for National and Community Service
The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that engages more than 5 million Americans in service through Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America and leads President Obama’s national call to service initiative, United We Serve. For more information, visit NationalService.gov.
About Habitat for Humanity International
Habitat for Humanity International is a global nonprofit Christian housing organization that seeks to put God’s love into action by bringing people together to build homes, communities and hope. Since 1976, Habitat has served more than 500,000 families by welcoming people of all races, religions and nationalities to construct, rehabilitate or preserve homes; by advocating for fair and just housing policies; and by providing training and access to resources to help families improve their shelter conditions. For more information, to donate or to volunteer, please visit habitat.org, or follow us at facebook.com/habitat or at twitter.com/habitat_org or join Habitat’s blog community at habitat.org/blog.