HIGH POINT, N.C., Jan. 9, 2018 – High Point University has organized more than 33 Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service projects that anyone can sign up to be part of on Jan. 15.
Community members are invited to join HPU students and faculty and can sign up to participate here: http://www.highpoint.edu/servicelearning/mlk-day-of-service/. Registration closes Jan. 10.
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.
The Rev. Joseph Blosser, director of service learning at the university, says that this day comes with a reminder from Dr. King: “Life’s most persistent and urgent questions is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”
“On Jan. 15, HPU faculty, staff and students will join with the Ministers Conference of High Point & Vicinity to do something for others,” says Blosser. “We will serve at over 30 different non-profits, churches, and public spaces to improve our city and buildup our community. I hope everyone will be moved to join in and help someone, making this MLK Day a ‘Day On, Not a Day Off.’”
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 2017, 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. 15 in Charles E. Hayworth Sr. Memorial Chapel. The service is open to the public.