Welcome to MLKDay.

gov 1/16/11 5:14 PM

To mark the 25th anniversary of the King Holiday, and to encourage ongoing service throughout the year, we
are launching the MLK 25 Challenge – a call to all Americans to honor Dr. King by pledging to take at least
25 actions during 2011 to make a difference for others and strengthen our communities.

From something as simple as cleaning a neighborhood park to a more intensive commitment such as becoming
a mentor, the key is to give of yourself in some way to help others. You may want to volunteer in a range of
efforts, or make a sustained commitment to a single cause. There is no shortage of work to be done, or lack of
ways to get involved. Follow your passion, and find something that’s right for you. You can find volunteer
opportunities and get ideas for your own projects by visiting Serve.gov (http://www.serve.gov/) .

Follow Us on Twitter | Be sure and use the hashtag “#MLK25” (http://twitter.com/mlkday)

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Here are some ideas to get you started:
1 Send a letter or care package to a soldier deployed overseas
2 Visit a wounded veteran at the hospital
3 Donate unused frequent flier miles to a military family organization
4 Do home repairs for a veteran or military family
5 Drive a veteran or military family member to a medical appointment
6 Help a veteran tell their story through an oral history project
7 Serve and prepare food at a homeless shelter
8 Help someone who is out of work with their resume or job search
9 Donate to your local food bank
10 Volunteer as an income tax preparer
11 Help build or renovate a home
12 Donate gently used professional clothes to an organization that helps people rejoin the workforce
13 Volunteer at a food pantry to prepare and distribute meals
14 Clean your closets, attic, basement, or garage and donate gently used items to a homeless shelter
15 Organize a coat and winter clothes drive
16 Deliver meals to homebound seniors
17 Stop and have a conversation with a homeless person
18 Help a local nonprofit post their volunteer opportunities on Serve.gov (http://www.serve.gov)
19 Spread the word about your city's emergency warming centers and hypothermia hotlines
20 Help connect a homeless person to services they need

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21 Serve on a nonprofit board of directors

22 Share your technology skills with a nonprofit that needs them
23 Volunteer on a hotline
24 Become a mentor
25 Teach English classes to adults
26 Volunteer or donate books to your local library
27 Teach a senior how to use a computer
28 Serve as a tutor
29 Teach parenting classes to young fathers and mothers
30 Participate in a service-learning project
31 Become a homework helper at your school
32 Volunteer to lead a club or teach an after-school enrichment class
33 Read books to elementary school students
34 Chaperone a school field trip
35 Organize a book drive
36 Participate in a school beautification project
37 Be a recess or lunchroom monitor
38 Bring someone new with you when you volunteer
39 Participate in a charity ride or race
40 Hold a dance for your local senior center or nursing home
41 Become a virtual volunteer by helping a nonprofit with graphic de
42 Volunteer at your local youth or recreation center
43 Invite local police officers to present a drug awareness or safety program
44 Read books or the newspaper on tape for the visually impaired
45 Be a hospice volunteer
46 Take a volunteer vacation
47 Attend a meeting of your neighborhood association
48 Visit patients or provide administrative support at a hospital
49 Assemble emergency supply kits
50 Get trained to respond to emergencies
51 Become CPR certified
52 Make presentations to schools and community groups about emergency preparedness
53 Become a volunteer firefighter or EMT
54 Volunteer with your local police department
55 Help create or expand a community garden
56 Clean up a nearby empty lot, or pick up trash on your street or in your neighborhood
57 Walk or bike to work or school once a week

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58 Test the health of the water in your local lakes, rivers, and streams
59 Replace old light bulbs with energy efficient ones and turn off appliances when you're not using them
60 Take mass transit more often
61 Make an intensive commitment to serve by joining AmeriCorps
62 Join the bone marrow registry
63 Become a coach for a youth sports team
64 Make quilts or blankets for hospitalized children or wounded soldiers
65 Volunteer on MLK Day and the September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance
66 Create a neighborhood safety patrol
67 Help build a playground
68 Rake leaves, shovel snow, clean gutters, or wash windows for a neighbor
69 Share your lifetime of skills and experience by joining Senior Corps
70 Give blood
71 Be a friend to someone with mental illness
72 Pick up groceries for a senior citizen in your community
73 Volunteer at a local animal shelter
74 Check in on your elderly or disabled neighbors regularly, especially in hot and cold weather
75 Visit Serve.gov (http://www.serve.gov) to find a volunteer opportunity

We hope this list is a starting point for you to develop your own commitments. However you choose to get
involved, you will be making a difference at a time when our nation needs your service. As Dr. King said
“Make a career of humanity...and you will make a greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country,
and a finer world to live in.”

How will you answer the MLK 25 Challenge? Follow MLK Day on Twitter (http://twitter.com/mlkday) and use the
hashtag “#MLK25” to tell us how you will be serving this year. We’ll post some of your responses throughout
the year.

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