“Everybody can be great because everybody can serve.”
–Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Many of us think of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday as a day off, but we should be thinking about it as a day on.
This year's Martin Luther King Jr. holiday is Monday, January 15, 2023. Observed each year on the third Monday in January, MLK Day is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service, encouraging Americans of all ages to volunteer to improve their communities.
AmeriCorps has led this effort for the last quarter-century. The organization encourages everyone to share and celebrate their service projects and accomplishments in Dr. King's memory.
You may think that your kids are too young to honor Martin Luther King Jr. No way! Anyone can volunteer, and any kind of service honors Dr. King's life and legacy.
Choose one of the following ideas or come up with your own. Ask your kids for suggestions, too. You may be surprised by what they come up with.
Kindergarten–2nd Grade
- Make cards or pictures for nursing home residents with LoveForOurElders.org
- Send a cheer card to a child at Children's Hospital Colorado
- Write to an elderly neighbor or local nursing home resident
- Hold a book drive
- Package care bags for the homeless or families in need
- Collect old towels, stuffed animals, and blankets for an animal shelter
- Decorate lunch bags and use them for snack sacks for families in need
3rd–5th Grade
- Make easy no-sew fleece blankets for children in local hospitals
- Collect and sort school supplies and create kits to benefit a local shelter or library
- Rake leaves or shovel snow for elderly or disabled neighbors
- Plant seeds to beautify neighbors' yards
- Plan a game day at a local home for adults with disabilities
- Collect new socks for the homeless
6th–8th Grade
- Volunteer at a local animal shelter
- Give your time (safely) to a local soup kitchen or homeless shelter
- Participate in charity walks or runs
- Foster a pet
- Organize a collection drive for your local animal shelter, nursing home, or children's hospital
High School
- Start a club at your school that promotes volunteerism throughout the year
- Initiate a park clean-up or beautification project
- Look for a nonprofit that interests you
- Install a buddy bench at a school
- Help with a Habitat for Humanity project
Find additional service opportunities by zip code.
Already know what you plan to do? Register your project!
About Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most influential civil rights leaders in history, receiving the Nobel Peace Prize at age 35 in 1964. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed the bill that created the federal holiday.
Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. He served for many years as a pastor, during which time he worked tirelessly for the equality of all people as a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and a leader of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Over the years, he joined with many other civil rights activists to lead non-violent protests across the country.
In August of 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. helped to organize the famous March on Washington. More than 250,000 people joined together to show their support of equal rights for everyone — including advocating for an end to segregation in public schools, protection from police abuse, and creating laws preventing discrimination in employment. He delivered his most famous speech, “I have a dream" during that event, which included this famous line:
“I have a dream my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968. Although his life was cut short, the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. continues.
