Honoring MLK - A Day of Volunteering or A Way of Life?

Volunteering Once Is Good But.....

Have you ever noticed that this time of year there is so much enthusiasm and energy around volunteering and giving back? Yes, we should all aspire to honor the legacy of MLK Jr., but does it count if we only do this one day out of the year? Now to be clear, this article is not a criticism but rather a call to action. Are you willing to commit to volunteering at least once per quarter instead of just once per year?

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

10 Interesting Facts About Martin Luther King Jr.

1. Dr. King skipped two grades and attended college at the age of 15 (Age 19: He graduated with a B.A. in Sociology)
2. When Martin?won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, he was the youngest person to do so, at age 35. (Malala Yousafzai now holds the record, winning the 2014 prize at age 17.)
3. Dr. King was the first Black person to be named Time's "Man of the Year."
4. There are more than 730 streets in the USA named after Martin Luther King Jr.
5. Throughout his short life, he was thrown behind bars 29 times for petty offenses like loitering and acts of civil disobedience.
6. Dr. King was a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity
7. MLK was a Star Trek fan! It was the only show he allowed his children to stay up late to watch.
8. On June 18, 1953, Dr. King married Coretta Scott on the lawn of her mother's home in Marion, Alabama.
9. His recording of “Why I Oppose the War in Vietnam” won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album for 1971.
10. Throughout his life, Martin Luther King Jr. was honored with at least 20 honorary degrees from institutions such as Bard College, Yale and Howard University.

Resources

State Bar of Michigan Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service Events List

MLK Week of Events- University of Michigan Dearborn

MLK Jr. Day of Service and Solidarity- Grand Valley State University

Smithsonian-5 Things to Know: Surprising Facts About Martin Luther King Jr.

15 Martin Luther King Jr. Facts You Probably Didn’t Know

The King Center