HIGH POINT, N.C., Jan. 6, 2016 – High Point University has organized 35 Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service projects that anyone can sign up to be part of on Jan. 18.
Community members are invited to join HPU students and faculty and can sign up to participate here: http://www.highpoint.edu/servicelearning/mlk-day/. Registration closes Jan. 13.
This year’s service projects include children’s activities, community gardens, preparing and serving meals, landscaping, providing transportation to refugees, beautification and cleanup of school and community spaces, and more. The projects will take place on HPU’s campus and at partner agencies throughout the city of High Point.
“This is a big MLK Day holiday in High Point, marking the unveiling of the new Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. As the city celebrates this historic milestone, I want to urge people to do so by getting involved in serving others,” says Dr. Joseph Blosser, Robert G. Culp Jr. director of service learning and assistant professor of religion and philosophy. “Dr. King urged people to work toward systemic change, to build relationships across barriers, and serve their neighbors. The Day of Service is a great opportunity for us to take a first step in this important work. I hope all will join us.”
In 1994, Congress designated a federal holiday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, “a day on, not a day off.”
HPU has taken that charge to heart by leading hundreds of volunteers in service to the city of High Point and surrounding areas each year. In 2015, more than 600 HPU students and faculty contributed 1,500 hours of service on Martin Luther King Jr. Day – part of the 100,000 hours of service the university contributes annually.
In addition to the Day of Service, HPU will host its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day worship service at 11 a.m. on Jan. 18 in Charles E. Hayworth Sr. Memorial Chapel. The service is open to the public.