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"Iowans Carrying on the Dream"
Service Day in Ames
Shelter Projects
Community Outreach Projects
Education and Mentoring Projects
Collection Drives Statewide
Volunteer Spotlight
AmeriCorps Project Spotlight
"A Great Story"
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Winning Essays
MLK Day 2010 Final Numbers/MLK Day 2011 Goals
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 "Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?"
~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
On January 18, 2010, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, thousands of Iowans joined people all over the United States in reaching out to help others. We want to sincerely thank everyone that participated. Our shared vision and hope is that this special Day of Service will continue to grow and inspire people everywhere.
The third Monday in January was designated as an annual federal holiday and national day of service by Congress in 1994. This year, our offices began working together to encourage nonprofits all over Iowa to coordinate and host projects to honor the legacy of Dr. King and to bring attention to the real needs affecting so many Iowans.
A month before Dr. King’s death he gave a sermon titled the "Drum Major Instinct" where he defined "greatness" and how he wanted us to remember him: "Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don’t have to know Einstein’s theory of relativity to serve… You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love. And you can be that servant…"
Iowans, urged to Make it a Day ON, not a Day OFF, answered the call to action in the style typical of a state ranked 5th in the nation for the number of people engaged in volunteer service: BIG! Approximately 80 projects were registered with our online system, and we are certain many other projects took place without coming across our radar. More than 1,900 people donated thousands of hours to help improve the lives of fellow Iowans by helping with food, clothing, and paper product drives, cookie baking, tax preparation, painting and clean up, flood recovery, winterizing, basic household tasks, mentoring opportunities, and many, many other activities.
Now, we are reaching out to all Iowans and asking you to help honor Dr. King’s legacy by continuing to be involved in volunteer activities throughout the year. Dr. King’s teachings can continue to guide us in addressing our state’s and nation’s most pressing social needs. And, by making service part of our daily lives, we can live up to the greatness that Dr. King expected from all of us.
Preston Daniels
Director
Iowa Department of Human Rights
Vicki Hover-Williamson
State Director
Corporation for National & Community Service
Adam Lounsbury
Executive Director
Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service
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