A Day On: Volunteer Opportunities Abound to Honor Martin Luther King, Promote Social Justice

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By Rachel Thomson

providence medical group sponsorMartin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is ‘What are you doing for others?’”

Many people will have a day off work to observe Martin Luther King Day on Monday. But for several community groups and organizations, the upcoming holiday will be considered a “day on.” This weekend, to celebrate what would have been King’s 86th birthday, several local non-profit organizations and community groups are hosting service projects to honor the late civil rights activist and promote social justice.

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AmeriCorps Members Missy Ayers (left), April Roe (center), and Anne Schuster (right) completed an environment restoration service project for Martin Luther King Day, 2014.
Photo courtesy: Stream Team

Claire Skelley, AmeriCorps member and Water Resources Assistant Outreach Coordinator is helping to lead one of these service projects with Stream Team, an organization that strives to protect and enhance local water resources, habitats and wildlife by involving citizens. She and other volunteers will be planting trees at Lacey’s Woodland Creek Community Park. She says when people work together on projects like these it often brings out enthusiasm and good will.

“This event is a great example of the power of service,” Skelley said. “It’s a network of dedicated people working together to inspire environmental stewardship, cultivate a sense of community, and enhance our public lands and waterways.”

From improving the environment to collecting clothing and essential items for the homeless, there is no shortage of projects in which people of all ages may partake. All events take place on Martin Luther King Day (Monday, Jan. 19, unless otherwise noted) 

Social Justice

Queerance Rack: AmeriCorps Youth in Service members are hosting a one-day event for youths who identify as being part of the LGBTQQIA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex and Asexual) community. The all-day event takes place from 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Sunday, January 25 at Olympia’s Abigail Stuart House, 1002 Washingotn St. SE. The purpose is to create a safe place for youth to exchange clothing, learn about local resources, play games and share stories. Youths will also have the opportunity to network with each other and learn about local networks that can support them. Volunteers advocates and allies from non-profit organizations Stonewall Youth and Pizza Klatch will be there to provide information about resources. Those interested in volunteering may email queerancerackoly@gmail.com or call 360-888-7310.

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A donation bin sits at the Olympia Timberland Regional Library. Volunteers are collecting camping gear, blankets and other essential items for homeless and low-income people in Olympia as part of an MLK Day project.
Photo credit: Rachel Thomson

HO-Down (Homeless Outreach Downtown) donation drive: The Emma Goldman Youth & Homeless Outreach Project, also known as EGYHOP, is hosting a donation drive and distribution project. EGYHOP is a non-profit organization that collects emergency supplies for homeless individuals in downtown Olympia. Each night a team of volunteers drives around on a bicycle hitched to a trailer with supplies and distributes them. Volunteers for the MLK Day project are collecting emergency supplies, hygiene products, socks, gloves, camping gear, blankets and first aid supplies. Carson Spaulding, one of the organizers of the project said donations for the MLK Day distribution will be collected through Jan. 17. The items, along with coffee and small packaged food items will be delivered to individuals Monday, Jan. 19. Spaulding said the greatest thing the project needs is more donations. Several donation bins have been set up around Olympia, including the Olympia Timberland Regional Library, 313 8th Ave. SE. Donations can also be dropped off at EGYHOP’s regular collection sites, including Traditions Café, located at 300 5th Ave. SW and at Interfaith Works, 701 Franklin St. SE. For more information on EGYHOP and to view a complete list of items needed, visit EGYHOP’s website or email egyhopolympia@gmail.com.

GRuB on a Budget:  GRuB is hosting a free one-day healthy living workshop for low-income families. Families will learn about basis nutrition, wellness practices, and how to prepare affordable, healthy meals. Organizers hope the project will inspire families to cook together. There will be cooking demonstrations and participants will get the opportunity to create recipe books. Participants will also get to cook and eat a healthy meal. The event will be hosted by AmeriCorps service members from Community Youth Services, GRuB and Growing Veterans.

“In the spirit of Martin Luther King, Jr. we hope to reflect on the ways we can empower our communities toward food security and sovereignty with shared knowledge, skills and traditions,” says Ali Mediate, Kitchen Garden Project and KGP Backyard Gardens Coordinator at GRuB.

The event runs form 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the GRuB Farmhouse, 2016 Elliot Ave. NW in Olympia. For more information, call (360) 753-5522.

Education

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GRuB staff and volunteers prepare fresh food during a recent public workshop. GRuB will be doing an all-day workshop on Martin Luther King Day focusing on nutrition and healthy living. Photo courtesy GRuB

Wa He Lut College Access Day: Volunteers will be partnering with several student organizations at The Evergreen State College to lead a series of campus tours for middle school students at Wa He Lut Indian School. Middle school students will also have the opportunity to participate in workshops and activities meant to encourage Native youth to pursue higher education. Current or former Evergreen students interested in assisting with the project can contact the college’s Center For Community Based Learning at (360) 867-6137.   The tours are set for 9:30 a.m. on Friday, January 16.

Environment

Restoring wildlife habitat may be just the ticket for volunteers who want to spend the day in outdoors. Three organizations are hosting work parties for volunteers that want to learn about local wildlife, nature and waterways. Volunteers should dress in appropriate gear. Most projects will have light refreshments, but participants are encouraged to bring a sack lunch.

Plant A Tree: Stream Team is inviting volunteers of all ages for a tree planting and restoration work party from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. at Woodland Creek Community Park, located at 6729 Pacific Ave SE in Lacey. Volunteers will be planting native tree and shrub varieties and doing maintenance on previous plantings to restore the riparian zone of an urban creek. The work will help filter water into the creek and crate better environments for wildlife and vegetation. Contact Claire Skelley at americorps@ci.lacey.us to RSVP or visit the Untied Way of Thurston County’s Volunteer Connection website and click on MLK Day of Service.

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A group of students from South Puget Sound Community College assembles hygiene kits for the YWCA’s Other Bank on Martin Luther King Day in 2012. SPSCC is hosting a Martin Luther King banquet and a “Communities of Color” conference over the MLK Day weekend. Photo credit: Rachel Thomson

Prairie Restoration: The Center for Natural Lands Management is looking for volunteers to help plant native flora around Puget Sound. Organizers say the flora is a good source of food for rare and endangered butterflies. The work party takes place from 9:00 a.m – 3:00 p.m. Visit the United Way of Thurston County’s Volunteer Connections website to register.

River Watershed Planting: The Nisqually Land Trust is looking for volunteers to help support the water, wildlife natural areas and scenic vistas of the Nisqually River Watershed. Volunteers will be planting trees at a site along a channel of the Nisqually River. The event takes place from 9:00 a.m – 4:00 p.m. and participants have the choice of volunteering for three hour shifts from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. or from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. For directions to the site and to RSVP, contact Cris Peck at volunteer@nisquallylandtrust.org or visit the United Way of Thurston County’s Volunteer Connection website.

Other Events

MLK Banquet with Ernest Green: South Puget Sound Community College and the Thurston Group of Washington State are celebrating the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. with a banquet featuring guest speaker Ernest Green. Green is perhaps best known for being part of the “Little Rock Nine.” Green earned his high school diploma from Central High School in Little Rock, Ark. He and eight other black students were the first to integrate Central High, following the 1954 US Supreme Court decision, Brown v. Board of Education making it illegal to segregate schools. Read a full story about the Saturday, January 17 event here.  Tickets are $40 per person and are available at www.spscc.edu/MLKtix,.

Communities of Color Conference: Regional college students are invited for a daylong conference on navigating and understanding intersecting movements, issues and identities within communities of color. The event is free for SPSCC students and $10 for non SPSCC students. The conference takes place from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the SPSCC Student Union Building. To register, contact Eileen Yoshina at 596-5383 or eyoshina@spscc.edu

Muslim Lobby Day: More than 500 Muslims from across Washington State will gather at the Capitol campus for a march and rally at the Capitol steps. They will be meeting in groups to take tours of the Captitol building and talk to lawmakers in their offices. For more information on how to participate, visit http://www.cairseattle.org/muslimlobbyday.

Olympia Peace Choir: The Olympia Peace Choir is a unique grassroots organization that began five years ago as the brainchild of Kerri Lynn Nichols and a group of friends.  The choir meets weekly on Mondays and performs throughout the community.  For their MLK-inspired performance in the Capitol Rotunda on January 17 from 12:00 p.m. – 12:40 p.m., the Olympia Peace Choir is learning a Turkish Laz work song, “Heyamo.” To learn more, visit their website.

For more activities happening around Olympia, click on our event calendar.

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