Activities & Organizations
Major Campus Events
MLK Day of Service
 MLK Day of Service |
MLK Day of Service is held annually on the MLK Day holiday in January. Volunteer to "Make It A Day ON, Not A Day OFF." Join us in a morning of service projects at agencies around Columbus in celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This annual event brings together hundreds of students and community members for a morning of service in honor of Dr. King. Click here for more information about this year's event: http://ohiounion.osu.edu/article.asp?section=other&id=359&type=38
Service Project Information
Volunteer community service is extremely important because it helps to meet needs in the community while also building on the assets already present. Service provided by college students begins to form long-term, collaborative relationships with community agencies.
Volunteer service also helps to enhance your educational experience by connecting you to your community in a very meaningful way. It provides an opportunity for you to apply skills learned in the classroom to a new environment, for spiritual growth, for career exploration, to promote responsible citizenship, and leadership development.
Participation in community service, through programs like MLK Day of Service, supports an environment of understanding and appreciation of diversity. Your continued involvement in service at Ohio State will only enhance your time as a Buckeye. There are many opportunities to engage in volunteer community service throughout the coming year. The SERV Team can provide resources and lead you in the right direction for getting connecting to service opportunities, but it is your job to live up to the legacy that has been left for you.
Volunteers will have the opportunity to work at a variety of community agencies for MLK Day of Service. Each year we work with varying agencies including assisted living facilities, neighborhood clean up projects, children’s programs and many other service agencies around the city of Columbus.
How Do I Volunteer?
There is no need to pre-register to volunteer for MLK Day of Service.
If you are interested in volunteering with a group, please be sure to arrive at check-in on MLK Day as a group. We may not be able to accommodate groups larger than 5 people based on the needs of the service sites. Please be prepared to separate into smaller groups if needed.
The SERV Team, the community service cohort program through the Center for Student Leadership and Service and the Ohio Union sponsors several campus-wide service projects every year. The SERV Team also offers resources to help you plan a service project, connect with a community agency or other students interested in service. For more information about service and leadership initiatives at Ohio State, check out the Leadership and Service website.
Who was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.?
During his lifetime, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. sought to forge the common ground on which people from all walks of life could join together as equals to address important community issues. Service, he realized, was the great equalizer. As he once said, "everybody can be great because everybody can serve."
After becoming a minister in Montgomery, Alabama, King went on to organize the black boycott of segregated city bus lines in 1955-1956. In 1956, due in large part to his initial efforts, Montgomery city buses began to operate on a desegregated basis. This was a major victory and afforded King with much prestige as a civil-rights leader.
King organized the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which gave him a base to pursue his civil-rights activities. His philosophy of non-violence led to his arrest on numerous occasions throughout the 1950s and 1960s. His campaigns had mixed success, but the protest he led in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963 brought him worldwide attention. He spearheaded the March on Washington in August 1963, which brought together over 200,000 people. In 1964 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
King's leadership in the civil-rights movement was increasingly challenged in the mid-1960s as others grew more militant. His interests however, widened from civil-rights to include criticism of the Vietnam War and a deeper concern over poverty. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot and killed on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee. Information compiled from www.mlkday.org and www.encyclopedia.com.
Volunteer Referrals
Interested in getting connected to an on-going service opportunity with a local agency? Looking to do a few hours of community service? The SERV Team can help you get connected! Email osuvolunteer@gmail.com and set up a meeting with one of the two student coordinators to find the perfect fit for you!
Links of Interest
Dr. King said, "life's persistent and most urgent question is 'what are you doing for others?'" What will you be doing for this MLK Day?
Please contact Rosie Holmes at the Ohio Union at holmes.443@osu.edu.
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