ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Much as Martin Luther King Jr. dedicated his life to improving the lives of others, Monday's celebration of Martin Luther King Day will see Lehigh Valley organizations celebrate, memorialize and act in the name of the Civil Rights leader.
Some groups, such as the Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley, are taking part in the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service tradition.
- Celebrations are set to take place throughout the Lehigh Valley honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
- With the holiday doubling as a national day of service, nonprofits and other groups are looking to highlight volunteer opportunities
- Many volunteer efforts focus on forming an ongoing connection with the community
Karen Smith, chief executive officer of the Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley in Bethlehem, said having the day double as a day of service is great for getting a spotlight onto nonprofits and work in the community.
"We love the concept and the idea of having a Martin Luther King legacy around volunteering and what it means to give back," Smith said.
"People need to be inspired. Some people are always volunteering, engaging, doing things, but to be able to really kind of shine a light on the importance of giving back in the community is just great."
Smith said the group gets a lot of people in the area reaching out to it, seeking a way to engage, and allows it to encourage people to give to nonprofits that need labor or donations or encourage them to engage as a volunteer either on the day or at another time.
"We engage our youth in programming for MLK Jr. Day, because oftentimes it's a holiday for them," Smith said. "It's an opportunity for them to think about how they can collectively kind of rally their friends and their family to do things. So it's very inspirational."
Starting the initiative
The initiative began federally following an act introduced by U.S. Rep. John Lewis and Pennsylvania Sen. Harris Wofford in 1994, dedicating the national holiday doubly as a national day of service, primarily pushed by AmeriCorps.
While many local volunteer opportunities are not on the day itself, nonprofit needs are displayed on the volunteer center's website.
Other groups, such as Lehigh University and Lafayette College, are encouraging staff and students to participate in their own organized volunteer efforts.
Nearby in Philadelphia, the largest organized MLK Day celebrations are set to take place through the Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service events. This year it will be focused on gun violence prevention.
Trina Johnson-Brady, a Community Coordinator for the LINCS Family Center in Easton, said that the group already has gotten a lot of outreach related to the day of service as a member of the Volunteer Center. The donations and extra help may now let them tackle bigger projects, Johnson-Brady said.
"We love the concept and the idea of having a Martin Luther King legacy around volunteering and what it means to give back."Karen Smith, chief executive officer of Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley
"We have a group of volunteers that come every week, but there's always [a] need for other hands to help make the work lighter," she said. "This is an opportunity for us to be able to move our organization forward, you know, with the extra help."
LINCS provides resources such as meal bags to those in need from Wilson Area School District, among other initiatives.
Johnson-Brady said the highlight can put in people's minds that giving back to the community is enriching.
Connection with the community
Smith and others agreed that part of the day of service should be an ongoing connection with the community.
"It should be always a day on, and not specifically, just one day a year," Smith said. "People should be thinking about how they can take an hour or two hours, engage their kids, their family and come out and volunteer because there are opportunities year-round, and the community in the nonprofit sector needs the support."
Esther Lee, president of the Bethlehem NAACP, said, "I have no idea how they feel and giving back, you know, going to scrubbing floors washing. Linda's doing things that they wouldn't ordinarily do — how that affects what Dr. King was implying.
"Dr. King wanted us to engage and get the life turned around for us as a people working together, black to white, it's clear. He didn't indicate that we needed to serve others, and then giving service, I don't think it's meant in that manner."
"Let this be ongoing and let our children stand tall in their communities. Let that work life be of substance and equal for us as Black folks."
Memorializing events, such as a celebration of King to be held by the Bethlehem NAACP on Monday, instead, hope to spread the message of his legacy in other ways.
More than 100 are preregistered for the event, and reservations are full, but Lee said the organization will not turn away people at the door.
"It's a continuance and a constant reminder of what Dr. King worked for and toward the education piece, that we should all come together as one," Lee said. "And we celebrate the evidence of what he left for us to do."
Other local events for the holiday
On Sunday, the Allentown Art Museum will hold free family activities, music, readings and talks at the museum.
Various events will take place Monday — such as tributes to King by both the Allentown and BethlehemNAACP chapters, and a discussion of King's enduring legacy at Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum.
The Volunteer Center will pair with ArtsQuest to put on a cinema tribute day to King at Steelstacks, with screenings and discussions taking place throughout the holiday Monday.
A candlelight vigil will be held at the Martin Luther and Coretta Scott King Freedom Memorial in Allentown at 6 p.m.
