Martin Luther King Day and Volunteerism

Today I want to focus on MLK Day and volunteering. Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day and I’ve already received plenty of emails about volunteering in the community on that day.

I’ll probably spend my day volunteering at Riverview Gardens. Being a gardener, the winter is hard to get through and they have a beautiful indoor hydroponic garden. But what I really want people to know is that becoming a regular volunteer in your community is very beneficial to you and others. Sure you could use volunteering as a networking ploy. However I have found that my volunteer work with men on supervision has really opened my eyes on the needs of the community, especially a population that seems to be forgotten.

I am much more knowledgeable about community resources, in fact I was provided a giant binder full of resources and contacts when I first started volunteering. Now I go out and research or interview service providers to be able to find out more and share that information.

You then get a sense of where your advocacy or social service work can have the most effect. You have to realize that the majority group is always going to ask you to wait, wait for a better time to act in the way you need to seek your rights or the rights of others. You don’t wait, you act and understand that you don’t need to worry about other people’s comfort zones. Progress is not made by conforming. Civil disobedience is not about civil convenience. You can quote me on that! So go out and get engaged with your community every day not just a national holiday.