Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., once said, "Life's most persistent and urgent question is: 'What are you doing for others?'" Dr. King dedicated his life to helping others, and for this one day of the year we are asked to remember that his vision for humanity did not perish with him.
Each year, through the encouragement and coordinated efforts of the Corporation for National and Community Service, Americans across the country answer that question by coming together on the King Holiday to serve their neighbors and communities.
The Martin Luther King Day of Service is a part of United We Serve, the President's national call to service initiative. It calls for Americans from all walks of life to work together to provide solutions to our most pressing national problems.
Instead of simply honoring and remembering Dr. King by naming a holiday after him, Martin Luther Day of Service is dedicated to achieving his ‘Dream’ that a community, our nation, could overcome what divided it, and that neighbors, our neighbors, could band together to help one another.
His strong belief in community service and the power of compassion is why the Martin Luther King, Jr., federal holiday is the only holiday that is observed as a national day of service. It is a part of the president’s United We Serve campaign and is considered to be “a day on, not a day off.”
From my standpoint as a college president, community service is one of the most rewarding responsibilities I can encourage our students to participate in. It does not cost you anything but your time, and the feeling of helping someone in need is one that will stay with you for the rest of your life. It proves that one person can make a difference, and that when a group of people pools their resources, anything is possible.
Here at Bethany, our students participate in community service activities all throughout the year, so today was no exception to that service. What makes it stand out, however, is that today’s activities serve to remind us of Dr. King’s incalculable contributions to strengthening the fabric of American life by calling on citizens of all races and all creeds to weave their efforts together to further the cause of liberty for all, justice for all, freedom for all, and hope for all.
Tonight we welcome as our featured Martin Luther King Day Speakers Rodney and Ronnell Heard, brothers, Bethanians, and teachers at Imani Christian Academy in Pittsburgh. The program will begin at 7 p.m. in the Academic Parlour of Old Main. They serve a school with a special mission of service to children that live in neighborhoods that are typically filled with violence, addiction, and various forms of verbal and physical abuse. Their work has earned them well-served widespread recognition.
I hope that all of you will remember the warm feeling you experience in helping another when you perform a selfless act. That warmth is the true meaning of Martin Luther King Day, and should be carried with us every day of the year.
