Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr.: A Day on, Not a Day off
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. believed that acts of service were the great equalizer. “Everybody can be great,” he noted, “because everybody can serve.” That’s why Dr. King’s wife, Coretta Scott King, once said that “the greatest birthday gift my husband could receive is if people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds celebrated the day by performing individual acts of kindness through service to others.”
Since 1986, three years after President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law, every third Monday in January is designated Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday that celebrates Dr. King’s life and work. In 1994, Congress named MLK Jr. Day as a national day of service,
and since then Americans have often celebrated the day through acts of service, dubbing the holiday “A Day On, Not a Day Off.” This movement also aligns with President Obama’s national call for all Americans to incorporate volunteerism and public service into their daily lives as a responsibility of citizenship.
This year, on Jan. 21, 2013, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), a federal agency that leads President Obama’s national call to service initiative, is encouraging organizations to honor MLK Jr. Day by volunteering for projects that support veterans and military families, educate communities on disaster preparedness, promote education and provide economic opportunities to the underprivileged. More than 30 national organizations, including the American Red Cross, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Habitat for Humanity, are strategic partners with the CNCS and will be holding local events through their chapters in various U.S. cities.
One of the goals of the MLK Jr. Day of Service is to put into action Dr. King’s teachings and philosophy of nonviolence to help solve social problems through service projects that empower people and build bridges in order to strengthen communities. U.S. cities throughout the country will offer a variety of volunteer opportunities for its citizens to participate in community outreach and corporate philanthropy.
For example, The New York City Coalition Against Hunger (NYCCAH) represents more than 1,200 nonprofit soup kitchens and food pantries in New York City that feed the over one million low-income, hungry New Yorkers. This year, NYCCAH volunteers and their partner nonprofits will serve meals, distribute food bags, stock food pantries where the low-income can buy discounted groceries and even clean up homeless shelters to commemorate MLK Jr. Day. Chicago Cares is sponsoring educational programs at several schools to teach children about Dr. King and his message, in addition to holding a volunteer-driven discussion group about Dr. King at St. Leonard’s House, a halfway house for men recently released from prison. Boston’s Central Square will continue Dr. King’s message of unity through community service by hosting hundreds of local volunteers engaging in a variety of activities including making scarves and blankets for the homeless, bookmarks for people in literacy programs, Valentine’s Day cards for shut-ins, and sorting cans of food, winter clothing and children’s books for people in need.
On the West Coast, San Francisco-based Human Rights Campaign, a civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, will be holding a family-oriented Day of Service by organizing volunteers to participate in park conservancy in the Golden Gate National Parks. In the Seattle area, the American Red Cross will bring together local volunteers for a day of disaster preparedness and education by canvassing throughout neighborhoods, talking with residents and leaving behind bilingual fire safety information. And in the spirit of Dr. King’s vision of a Beloved Community, a place where people come together to make their community a better place to live, Los Angeles-area citizens and corporate volunteers will participate in a schools beautification project by revitalizing the campuses of various local schools.
Some national businesses like Allstate Insurance will be holding their company-wide day of service on MLK Jr. Day, where employees on every level and in every position throughout the U.S. are encouraged to volunteer for any cause in their local community. Target Corporation’s employee volunteer program will take part in the MLK Day Jr. Day festivities by participating in 30 unique project sites throughout Chicago, where employee volunteers will host multicultural fairs for students to educate them on diversity, sort donations at homeless shelters, spend time with senior citizens and create artwork to brighten learning environments. Washington D.C. Target employees will join their fellow corporate volunteers in this day of service by helping the CNCS and Points of Light assemble and fill assorted items in toiletry kits for active U.S. military personnel, wounded warriors, veterans and first responders.
For nonprofits and community groups, MLK Jr. Day is an opportunity to introduce their causes to new volunteers and find potential funders and partners who can support their organizations throughout the year. Meanwhile, businesses recognize that contributing on this Day of Service is the ultimate demonstration of corporate social responsibility. Not only will participating in this day promote employee engagement, companies will also give their employees a rare benefit…an opportunity to feel great about themselves.
To participate in MLK Jr. Day activities, companies and their employees can find volunteer opportunities through Causecast’s Community Impact Platform.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once observed, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?'” On MLK Jr. Day, Dr. King’s dream of a nation of freedom and justice for all becomes every American’s dream as people throughout the country come together to answer his question.
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Let’s do a headcount:
Millennials: 79 million. Baby boomers: 76 million.
No wonder the younger tykes are increasingly stamping their mark on workplace cultures. Millennials are the fastest growing segment of today’s workforce, and even amidst a prolonged recession, companies are competing for their talents. So if employers want to hold on to this demographic, they must implement employee retention practices that speak to Gen Y.
Here’s a little tip: many of those practices are rooted in one thing –cause.
Who Are These People?
A recent Boston Consulting Group study found that Millennials are concerned about big social issues and believe that involvement in causes is a fundamental part of life. The study identified a variety of traits that characterize this generation:
- Technologically savvy. Even though Millennials grew up with technology and are constantly plugged in, they also want to connect and share experiences offline and in person.
- Team-oriented. This generation grew up in play groups, playing team sports or other group activities. They understand the value of teamwork, so Millennials want to be involved and make a difference. They believe that a collective action can change the world and tend to become actively involved in large social movements. Receptive to cause marketing, Millennials are more likely to buy products that support their cause.
- Value work-life balance. Millennials understand the benefits of a balanced life, personal growth and being productive. They tend to like their jobs more than previous generations and stay in jobs that fit their talents and passions, but they won’t stay in jobs just for security.
- Achievement-oriented. Ambitious and achievement-oriented, the Millennial search for meaning and learning extends to their work. They seek out new challenges and have high expectations of their employers. This group is not afraid to question authority.
- Need acknowledgement. The opinions and recognition of their friends and superiors are important to Millennials, who seek attention through feedback and praise from people who are important to them.
Giving Gen Y What They Need
Encompassing the values that Millennials care about, a well-managed employee volunteer program is key to recruiting and retaining the Millennial workforce. Smart corporate cause campaigns allow Millennials to contribute not only financially but also with their talents, as skills-based volunteering comprises a large segment of volunteer service needs. Even if Millennials don’t have as much time as they would like to dedicate to a cause, they can engage in micro-volunteering activities, using up-to-the-minute applications via their computers or smartphones.
Speaking to Millennials’ desire to connect off-line, corporate volunteering programs – especially if they incorporate social media and mobile capabilities – allow Gen Y-ers to do meaningful work with their colleagues and build a sense of worthwhile teamwork. This in turns develops company pride and employee engagement, leading to happier and more productive workers. Implementing employee recognition into your volunteer program – such as prizes for fundraising competitions – will help acknowledge your Millennials’ contributions outside of their jobs.
As Baby Boomers grow older and pass their peak earning and spending years, the influence of Millennials will only increase. Just as companies that understand and market products to the characteristics of this generation benefit financially in terms of sales, companies that understand and embrace the values of the Millennials within their corporate cultures will benefit in terms of a stable, content and productive workforce.
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To keep alive the spirit of compassion and service that united Americans in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, September 11th is now federally recognized as a National Day of Service and Remembrance, establishing a tradition of national engagement in charitable acts as a tribute to the victims, survivors and first responders of 9/11.
The observance of 9/11 day is led by MyGoodDeed, a nonprofit dedicated to using the power of doing good to overcome the tragedy of September 11th. More than a day of volunteering, the National Day of Service and Remembrance is filled with commemorative events, charitable acts and community outreach executed throughout the country by nonprofits, service organizations and corporate giving programs as a living memorial to the victims and heroes of 9/11.
Driving this spirit of unity and tribute is the pledge of “I will,” referring to the promise of doing good deeds of any kind on September 11th to help someone in need, much like the spirit that moved Americans to action after the unprecedented tragedy of the 9/11 attacks. Everyone, either as an individual or as part of a company employee volunteer program, is encouraged to prepare for the 2013 anniversary by going toMyGoodDeed’swebsite to pledge their participation in this nationwide movement.
Many of the day’s activities will support the types of workers who served as first responders to the attacks, likefirefighters, rescue and recovery workers, EMTs and military personnel. Blue Star Families, a nonprofit that supports military families, is asking all of its members in every state to perform community service for its local military bases, firehouses and veterans groups. Some of their projects include cleaning up parks located near bases, hosting a letter writing and card making campaign for those in active service and conducting donation drives for the local Fisher House, a residence specially built for military family members so they can be close to a loved one during hospitalization for a combat injury or illness.
The spirit of this day doesn’t necessarily need to take place on September 11th. The Charlotte Firefighters Association will be hosting its second annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb in Charlotte, North Carolina on September 7th, in tribute to the 343 fallen firefighters, 23 NYPD, 37 Port Authority Police and 10 medics who died during the attacks. Participants will climb 110 flights of stairs in the Wells Fargo’s Duke Energy Center to salute those who climbed the stairs of the towers in the World Trade Center.
Corporate volunteering is also an important part of the day. For example, the employees of law firm Holland & Knight will participate in various service projects throughout the country alongside their clients, colleagues and families. In Boston, Holland & Knight volunteers will be sorting and distributing donated food at the Greater Boston Food Bank while their New York City colleagues serve meals to the homeless and low-income families at Trinity’s Services and Food for the Homeless (SAFH). Others will build decent and affordable housing with Habitat for Humanity in Los Angeles, Orlando and Portland, while employees in the Chicago and Orlando firms provide meals to families staying at the local Ronald McDonald Houses. Holland & Knight employee volunteers in San Francisco will host their third annual Bay View Book Fair for hundreds of children, while colleagues in Miami will be volunteering with Easter Seals at schools for children with autism, and working in Tampa with Feeding America and Metropolitan Ministries to support the homeless and hungry.
A 9/11 day corporate sponsor, American Express, will not only provide employee volunteers but also additional funding to several projects selected by their employees. These include:
· Supporting the New York Says Thank You Foundation’s campaign to recruit volunteers in rebuilding the homes of first responders affected by Hurricane Sandy.
· In Ft. Lauderdale, Amex will help revitalize a housing development for veterans.
· Working with Operation Homefront, employees will engage in a letter writing session to send support and encouragement to families of deployed military across the U.S.
· In New York City, employees will participate in an event with the 9/11 Tribute Center and USO to assemble bicycles that will be gifted to families of soldiers and airmen serving in Afghanistan.
No organization understands the devastation of 9/11 firsthand like financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald, which lost 658 of their 960 New York-based employees in the attacks. Since 2002, the company has been commemorating their lost colleagues through their annual Charity Day which takes place each year on September 11 or the closest business day. On Charity Day, Cantor and its affiliate BGC Partners, Inc. donate 100% of their worldwide revenues to a variety of social service and humanitarian organizations in the U.S. and around the world.
Cantor’s CEO Howard Lutnick says, “Charity Day for us is very special, as it turns the most difficult day of the year into something positive and uplifting.” Indeed, the National Day of Service and Remembrance helps us feel hope for what’s possible when people come together to elevate their collective well-being.
In the words of the “I will” pledge:
I will remember.
I will remember those lost.
I will remember the injured.
I will remember those that rose in service, at home and on the battlefield.
I will remember the spirit of unity.
I will remember how strangers became neighbors.
I will remember how we put aside our differences.
I will remember how I felt.
I will remember by making a difference.
I will remember by doing a good deed.
I will remember.
I will.
As September 11th approaches, now is this the right time to ask your company, your co-workers and yourself, “What will you do?”
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