Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, A Day On, Not a Day Off

Today we honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the causes for which he gave his life.

This year, the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday falls on the same weekend as the Presidential Inauguration. That gives us, as a nation, a great opportunity to celebrate both the legacy of Dr. King and our democracy. 

Dr. King was deeply committed to justice and to volunteer service.

As Dr. King famously said:

Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.

Points of Light is sending a simple message: Now’s the time to move beyond the divisiveness and come together to volunteer. No matter what our differences, we can join hands and tackle tough problems together. 

We are issuing a call to do what we, as Americans, do best – lend a hand, help our neighbors, and build stronger communities.

Find out more about the projects today on our Facebook, or follow the official national day of service on Twitter at hashtag 2013MLKDay.