January 4, 2007
Come together: The 2007 Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?”
On the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, held each year on the third Monday in January — this year it coincides exactly with his Jan. 15 birthday — there will be many options for UW faculty and staff to do for others. See them listed at http://depts.washington.edu/mlkjr/.
You can help restore or enliven a park or watershed, catalog donations for an environmental nonprofit organization, help build low-income housing or clean up around a school, adult day care or foster care facility. Or you could help paint classrooms at the Red Cross, or help Northwest Share plan for a new eastside location, or any one of nearly two dozen opportunities that are still open for volunteers.
The Day of Service will be kicked off at 8 a.m. Jan. 15 in the HUB Ballroom, where volunteers will gather for coffee and pastries and a few remarks from UW President Mark Emmert and Jon Fine, CEO of United Way of King County.
Individuals and groups are welcome to sign up to participate in the service day though Jan. 11, and can do so online.
This year, many of the volunteer projects center around the theme of homelessness, said Rachel Vaughn, assistant director for community-based learning at the UW’s Carlson Leadership and Public Service Center. That’s partly because all the volunteer projects come from the United Way of King County, she said, which has launched a program called “Out of the Rain” to help treat homelessness in King County. The decision to emphasize homelessness was made jointly by the Carlson Center and the United Way.
The Day of Service at the UW is in its sixth year. Vaughn said in its first year, 2001, between 100 and 150 people showed up to help. But in 2005 that had increased to more than 1,000. There are already 730 volunteers signed up in advance for this year’s day, and Vaughn said she hopes about 600 more will be recruited, adding, “It just keeps getting bigger and bigger.”
The process is very familiar to Marsha Donaldson, special projects manager for Development and Alumni Relations and one of 60 project leaders for the annual Day of Service. Donaldson, who has been involved since 2002, tries to mix up the opportunities from year to year. “We always try to do a different project each year because you never know what might appeal to someone,” she said. “Plus, it gives people exposure to different projects around the community.”
Volunteering was part of Donaldson’s life even before she joined the MLK Day efforts. “I have been a volunteer since 1994 with what is now the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance … as what is called a patient family volunteer.” In this capacity, she helps support patients and their family members who travel to Seattle for bone marrow transplants.
Donaldson said she gets inspired by the UW’s volunteer efforts each year on King’s birthday. “I love the idea that there are these hundreds, could be thousands of people going around the community working and the day truly is in answer to Martin Luther King’s question.”
The commitment of the volunteers shows, too, she said. “I’ve never seen people work so hard. For the next six hours, it’s all I can do to get people to take a break.” This year, her group will do deep cleaning for a homeless women’s shelter.
And sometimes, the volunteering doesn’t stop at the end of the day. Donaldson said the day of work caused some people to bond with the agency and return for more volunteering. “So this sparks something,” she said.
In addition to the Day of Service itself, four public educational forums have been arranged on the subjects of poverty and homelessness. These are open to all, and may inspire volunteers to spread the good work even farther.
The forums have been scheduled, but locations have not yet been determined. Please check the Web site for locations.
- Tuesday, Jan. 9, 12:30-1:30 p.m., Poverty and Self-Sufficiency Indicators: The High Cost of Being Poor, presented by Diana Pearce, senior lecturer and director of the Center for Women’s Welfare in the UW School of Social Work.
- Wednesday, Jan. 10, 4-5 p.m., Homelessness in King County — United Way of King County “Out of the Rain” Initiative, presented by Vince Matulionis, director.
- Thursday, Jan. 11, 4-5 p.m., Youth and Young Adult Homelessness, presented by the University District Providers Alliance.
- Thursday, Jan. 18, 4-5 p.m., Stay Engaged in Change: How to Stay Involved in Your Community After the Martin Luther King Jr, Day of Service, presented by the Carlson Leadership and Public Service Center and the United Way of King County.
The UW Bothell also will participate in the service day, which will kick off on that campus at 8 a.m. in the commons. The morning will begin with a breakfast and a celebration of the legacy of Dr. King. Participants will leave campus for their service sites at 9 a.m. UW Bothell participants will choose from among the UW Seattle volunteer opportunities, but are encouraged to register for the Friends of Youth-Everett or the City of Woodinville service projects.
Finally, Vaughn said she enjoys the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service because it can bring parts of the UW community together to help others.
“What I think is fantastic about this day, it’s one of the few times that UW faculty, staff, alumni and students and their families can all come together to do something in the community.”
Former Seattle mayor headlines MLK event at UW Tacoma
Former Seattle Mayor Norman Rice will be the keynote speaker at the UW Tacoma’s first Martin Luther King Day Unity Breakfast Monday at 8 a.m. Monday, Jan. 15, in the Mattress Factory Building.
Rice, who served as the first African-American mayor of Seattle, from 1990 to 1997, will speak about the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the breakfast event, which is co-sponsored by UW Tacoma’s Black Student Union, Latino Student Organization, Native American Student Organization, and Queer-Straight Alliance and is funded by the Student Activities Board. For information on the Unity Breakfast, visit www.tacoma.washington.edu/diversity/unity/.
Organizers say the event is designed to bring together the community to help fulfill Dr. King’s dream.
“We wanted to find a way to unite our campus with Tacoma for this day,” said Chana Lawson, vice president of the Black Student Union. “This is a time to reflect on Martin Luther King’s vision and bring it home in our own lives.”
Rice said he is happy to participate in UW Tacoma’s event.
“I think it’s important for those of us who are or have been in any position of service to extend ourselves on that day to further Dr. King’s legacy,” said Rice, who is currently working as a distinguished visiting practitioner at UW’s Evans School of Public Affairs. “I like the idea of doing something in his name on his birthday, instead of just taking a day off.”
Chancellor Patricia Spakes and UW Tacoma alumnus Lawrence Mayfield, a former Black Student Union officer, will also speak at the event. Entertainment will be provided by Tacoma’s Edwards Temple Church of God in Christ Choir and spoken word artist Antonio Edwards, and local restaurant Uncle Thurm’s Soul Food will provide the breakfast buffet.
After the breakfast, participants may take the Link light rail line to the Tacoma Dome to participate in the City of Tacoma’s Martin Luther King Day celebration, which begins at 11 a.m.
Admission to the Unity Breakfast is $3 for UW Tacoma students and $15 for non-students, and advance registration is required. To purchase tickets, contact the UW Tacoma Office of Advancement at 253-692-4663. UW Tacoma students may purchase tickets through the Office of Student Life; call 253-692-4481 for more information.
