Volunteers from around the world come together on MLK Day of Service. As Dr. King said, "What are you doing for others?"
We asked our Multiplying Good Think Big Team member and this year's MLK Day of Service Chair Hailey Richman to reflect and share the importance around this day of service.
Volunteering is a lifelong commitment to our community and others. Our voices and actions matter not just on MLK Day of Service but always. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr encouraged all citizens big and small to help join forces to create a nation that has justice and freedom for all.
The MLK Day of Service encourages volunteers nationally and globally to join together and serve their community. Volunteers in all 50 states and even other countries are making a big difference on this day. Dr. King said, "anybody can be great because everybody can serve!" Dr. King would be proud to see that his memory is being served this way. On MLK Day of Service you take a closer step to creating and constructing the dear community that Dr. King had envisioned in his dream. Dr. King felt that this was an achievable goal! Our service is needed more than ever especially during this COVID-19 pandemic where systemic inequities are even greater now.
I grew up learning the value of my voice and actions at a young age when I was a caregiver to my grandmother afflicted with Alzheimer's disease. I wanted to help not only my grandmother, but other Alzheimer's patients and their family members. I created the Kid Caregivers blog and nonprofit organization (www.kidcaregivers.com) to show other kids that they are not alone and help them cope.
In addition, I am director of Puzzles To Remember (www.puzzlestoremember.org) a nonprofit which collects and distributes jigsaw puzzles for Alzheimer's patients. During COVID-19 the social isolation is even greater for dementia patients and I have managed to collect almost 30,000 puzzles and gather over 2000 volunteers to distribute them to nursing homes. I have always believed that if you have the ability to help others it is your responsibility to do so. No one is too young, too old, or too disadvantaged to make a difference in the world. Once you do this a few times you will become hooked on the feeling of joy that comes with knowing you made a difference.
