Hello friends!
Each year on the third Monday in January, communities across the country celebrate the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, a federal holiday devoted to inspiring individuals, strengthening communities, bridging barriers, creating solutions to social problems, and moving us closer to Dr. King’s vision of a “Beloved Community.”
MLK Day matters because it recognizes and honors the total legacy of Dr. King—championing the issue of civil rights, highlighting the use of nonviolence to promote change, and calling individuals into public service—while inspiring us to support and improve communities in our own ways.
We encourage Chapters, Campus Clubs, and HOPEww Scouts Troops to celebrate MLK Day of Service by engaging as many as possible. COVID-19 has created severe blood shortages, and this is a great and easy way to meet a huge need.
We look forward to honoring Dr. King* and inspiring greater hope!
*Blood Drives & Biblical Justice
True to MLK legacy, donating blood is one way we can address the injustices associated with medical care often experienced by those who are marginalized. Not everyone has an intrinsic understanding that if you have specialized needs in marginalized communities, medical staff may not be able to treat you. With medical deficits being something that many would not consider or think of, we also have an opportunity to help educate people outside of marginalized communities of the need for access to regular medical care, i.e. specific blood types that are not always available. “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.” – Isaiah 1:17