Nearly 200 students and staff members from Missouri University of Science and Technology will volunteer throughout the local community on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, Jan. 21, as part of a national day of service. The number of participants is more than double previous years’ numbers.

The day’s activities will begin with registration and breakfast in the Havener Center on campus. Following a “Call to Action” at 8:30 a.m., 190 participants will spend the morning in the community working on projects until noon. Organizations they will work with include The Community Partnership’s Resale Shop, Tri-County Humane Society, Salvation Army, Love Letters: Random Cards of Kindness Inc. (letters to terminally ill children), Hope Alliance, several area nursing homes and other projects throughout the area.

An MLK Day of Service Recognition Luncheon and keynote speech by LaWanda Jones, a 1991 Missouri S&T civil engineering graduate, will be held at noon.

Following the keynote, students and staff members will have an opportunity to reflect on the work they did that morning and to discuss steps they can personally take to help solve current issues and help build a stronger community.

The first Martin Luther King Jr. Day was observed in 1986. In 1994, as a tribute to King’s personal commitment to service, Congress designated the day a national day of service. Missouri S&T volunteers will join the efforts of thousands of individuals and organizations across the county to commemorate the day. This year will be S&T’s fifth year to participate.

Learn more about the event.

Additional information about the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service is available online at mlkday.gov.