MLK Day: a young volunteer's take

Guest blogger Vanessa Johnson is a student at Madeira High School in McLean, VA and an intern with the Case Foundation.

I'm high school student at Madeira and have always been involved with volunteering. This summer, I worked at Mobilize.org, and now I am interning at the Case Foundation. Since MLK Day is approaching and is a great day for service, I was curious about the different ways that people are volunteering across the country. I was blown away at seeing the incredible number and variety of opportunities and encouraged to see that there are so many fun ways to give back!

Check it out these great ideas:

• During the Blanket Walk-Through about 30 participants will walk around providing basic resources to those who are in dire need. The Blanket Walk-Through will provide blankets, socks, warm clothing and pre-packaged food to people living on the street. This service is extremely important because it is during the coldest times of the year, and volunteers will be providing necessities to people living on the street.
• For those who are strapped for time, a very quick and easy way to give back is the Hope in Action Blood Drive at the Washington Hospital Center. The blood drive will help provide critically needed blood for medical patients in the Washington area. All blood donated will be used to assist those undergoing medical treatment in our community.
• For volunteers on the west coast, The Children's Lifesaving Foundation is collecting school supplies for at-risk youth as part of the MLK Westside Community Fair. This event is a great opportunity to give back to the community and open to everyone.
• South Texans are gathering to help label kits and talk to potential bone marrow donors about the need for additional African American donors. This event is sponsored by the National Marrow Donor Program at Carter BloodCare. This event is be great because volunteers will be contributing to educating people about the importance of donating marrow and how it would save lives, especially for African American patients who have leukemia.
• A cool project in the Chicago area is the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Literacy Fair sponsored by Project YES! The fair will provide hands-on experiences with everything from spoken word and music to traditional read-alouds.

There are thousands of opportunities! To find one that fits you, go to usaservice.org.