Michiganders encouraged to volunteer for MLK Day

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Community Service Commission (MCSC), the state’s lead agency on volunteerism, rolled out nearly $10,000 to support Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service projects and is encouraging more Michiganders to serve their community by volunteering on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan. 19, and throughout the month.

“Serving within your community carries on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy,” said Ginna Holmes, Executive Director of the Michigan Community Service Commission. “We encourage Michiganders to take part in an opportunity to help those in need. We are proud to support organizations across the state to engage volunteers in helping communities.”

To honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., the MCSC is supporting 20 volunteer projects across the state that will engage more than 4,000 volunteers in nearly 11,000 service hours. Projects will address community needs, such as food insecurity, homelessness, environmental stewardship and supporting youth.

To support these efforts, the MCSC with financial support from Youth Service America awarded $9,600 in grants ranging from $100 to $1,000.

This year’s grantees include:

• Alma College
• Barry County United Way (Hastings)
• Pen Enrichment Community Center (Romulus)
• The Children’s Center of Wayne, Inc. (Detroit)
• My Sister’s Keeper (Highland Park)
• City Year Detroit
• United Way of Genesee County (Flint)
• United Way of Bay County (Bay City)
• Embassy Community Development Corporation (Detroit)
• AmeriCorps Urban Safety Program (Detroit)
• All Things Women Inc. (Detroit)
• Macomb Foster Closet (Mount Clemens)
• The Boys and Girls Club of Alpena
• Allen Neighborhood Center (Lansing)
• United Way of the Lakeshore (Muskegon)
• Lighthouse (Pontiac)
• TrueNorth Community Services (Fremont)
• The Theta Zeta Lambda chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity (Ann Arbor)
• Vision Fair Foundation (Redford)
• Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. Zeta Beta Zeta Chapter (Genesee County)

To learn more about the projects and the volunteer opportunities, visit the MCSC website.