In 1994, Congress designated the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday as a national day of service.
The Missouri Clean Water AmeriCorps Members asked citizens of all ages and backgrounds to use the day off from work as a day “on” to volunteering.
The King Day of Service strengthens communities by addressing needs and introduces people to ongoing service opportunities. People all over the nation will be participating in events such as collecting food and clothing, removing graffiti, cleaning neighborhoods and reading to children.
On January 18th, Lance and I met up with the Mid-MO Red Cross Chapter to participate in a disaster preparedness event. The Red Cross had organized the day, gathering about 50 volunteers to distribute information on how to prepare for a disaster.
The information described how to make a plan to follow in case of an emergency, like deciding on a meeting place if you have to evacuate the home. It also described what kind of supplies to keep on hand, like bottled water, canned food, flash lights and batteries. The event was co-sponsored by the Columbia Professional Firefighters, and also made residents aware of a program where the firefighters will help citizens check their smoke alarms and replace batters or even give them a new smoke detector, if needed.
We knocked on about 50 doors, talking to about half of the residents and leaving the information on doorknobs for the rest. It was a brisk morning, but well worth it the cold walk knowing we were helping fellow Columbians (and that there was a lunch waiting for us back at Boone Electric Community Room, cooked up by the Columbia’s Professional Firemen).
