-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
In celebration of the life of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the members of the MHA Compeer program will be participating in a community service project at their January meetings, January 19--the day after the MLK, Jr. Day holiday--and January 27, 2010.
Compeer is a social integration and wellness program that matches individuals who have experienced mental illness with community volunteers who serve in one-to-one friendship matches.
Serving Through Example
Compeer members and volunteers will be learning about the teachings and life of Reverend King, as they prepare a project to be donated to the local Salvation Army Shelter. Some of the Compeer program participants have utilized the services of the Salvation Army’s Food Bank and Shelter in the past, and wish to give back to the community.
Members will be assembling “welcome packets” for new residents of the 18-bed temporary shelter, which will contain uplifting messages and donated personal care products. Kay Hartman, Volunteer Coordinator of the Salvation Army, says that many residents arrive at the shelter with nothing, not even a toothbrush. Compeer Members hope to reduce the emotional stress of living in temporary housing by providing the guests with comfort items of their own.
Dr. King’s Message of Hope
Dr. King’s concept of “somebodiness,” which symbolized the celebration of human worth and the conquest of subjugation, gave people of color and poor people hope and a sense of dignity. His philosophy of nonviolent direct action, and his strategies for rational and non-destructive social change, galvanized the conscience of this nation and reordered its priorities. His wisdom, his words, his actions, his commitment, and his dream for a new way of life are intertwined with the American experience.
In 1994, Congress designated the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday as a national day of service and charged the Corporation for National and Community Service with leading this effort.
Taking place each year in January, the King Day of Service is the only federal holiday observed as a national day of service – a “day on, not a day off.” The King Day of Service empowers individuals, strengthens communities, bridges barriers, addresses social problems, and moves us closer to Dr. King’s vision of a “Beloved Community.”
Dr. King recognized the power of service to strengthen communities and achieve common goals. Service is integral to meeting national challenges such as poverty, economic insecurity, illiteracy, hunger, and more.
How You Can Get Involved
If you, or your family or organization, would like to join in the King Day of Service this year, go to MLKDAY.gov for more information, or contact your favorite local service organization and offer your assistance. Many Projects are taking place throughout the month.
--Kristen Frame
Compeer Coordinator
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