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Youth Make Blankets for Project Linus ISU Students Help ACCESS Women's Shelter Urbandale Public Library's Collection Drive Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge's Day of Service Project Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC) MLK Day Food/Donation Drive Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity Catherine McAuley Center MLK Day Project Cornell College's MLK Day of Service Project Elder Services, Inc. RSVP MLK Day of Service 2nd Annual "Let Freedom Ring! Rhythm, Soul and the Dream" Dubuque AmeriCorps MLK Jr. Day of Service: Our Successful "Day On" Green Iowa AmeriCorps Weatherization Project An AmeriCorps VISTA Member's MLK Day Story Foster Grandparents Give Books to Local Head Start Centers and Elementary Schools Collection Drive in the Sioux City Community The AmeriCorps Youth Launch Program's Youth Day Wesleyan College Reachs Out to Their Community on MLK Day
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Dubuque AmeriCorps MLK Jr. Day of Service: Our Successful “Day On”
A diverse group of volunteers from all around the Dubuque and the tri-state area signed up for a common cause — to serve others. Despite the snowy weather, 98 volunteers (42 AmeriCorps members and 56 community members) volunteered a total of 658 hours during the event. Participants were provided lunch, a T-shirt, and a certificate of participation.
Another volunteer stated that, “We helped those that needed a hand. We did hard work and as a result not only did we help those that needed it, but we felt a sense of community and self-worth.”
Submitted by Dubuque AmeriCorps members:
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While many viewed the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on January 17, as a day off, Dubuque AmeriCorps members united to challenge our community to have a “day on” by engaging in service. AmeriCorps members organized service projects at Four Oaks, Jefferson Middle School, Marshall Elementary School, and the Multicultural Family Center (due to the weather, Albrecht Acres service project was postponed to later date). Projects included painting, cleaning, maintenance, and organizing at those sites. 
Volunteers met at St. Patrick’s Foley Hall at 9:00 a.m. and after a kick-off dispersed to their service sites thanks to transportation from the Trolleys of Dubuque. Everyone returned to the hall around 1:30 p.m. for lunch followed by reflection about the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and the service they completed. Several volunteers made our MLK Jr. Day of Service into a family event by bringing their children along to serve.
Dubuque AmeriCorps members collected a total of $806 in donations from Hy-Vee, Eagle Country Market, Red Top Supper Club, Lowe’s Home Improvement, and the Town Clock Inn. A $750 grant from the City of Dubuque covered T-shirt costs, certificates of participation and additional needed supplies. St. Patrick’s Catholic Church generously donated the use of their parish hall for our event. The donations of food, cleaning supplies, a meeting space, and money helped make this day possible and a great experience for all of our volunteers. It is our hope that the volunteers present at our Dubuque AmeriCorps MLK Jr. Day of Service take the spirit of service that they illustrated on MLK Day and carry it through the rest of 2011. 