Limestone University To Observe "Day Of Service" On January 16 To Honor Legacy Of Martin Luther King, Jr.

In observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, Limestone University will hold its annual “Day of Service” on Monday, Jan. 16.

Limestone students and staff will continue with their regular service project with Cherokee County Meals on Wheels. Limestone University Dining/Sodexo will provide the food. Students will start packaging at 8:30 a.m. in Stephenson Dining Hall, and deliveries throughout the community will begin at approximately 10 a.m. Overall, Limestone students will cover a total of 24 delivery routes for Meals on Wheels.

The service project is being organized by University Chaplain and the Director of ADAMAH Christian Leadership Dr. Tom LeGrand. Many of the volunteers are students from his Religion 204 and English 105 courses, as well as students involved in ADAMAH.

Additionally, other members of the Limestone community volunteering represent the Student Government Association, the Honors College, and several Saints athletic teams.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a vital figure of the modern era and a pivotal figure in the Civil Rights movement. His lectures and dialogues stirred the concern and sparked the conscience of a generation. His leadership inspired men and women, young and old, in the United States and around the world. From 1960 until his death in 1968, he served as co-pastor with his father at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.

In April 1968, King traveled to Memphis, Tennessee, in support of striking African American city sanitation workers. While in the city, he was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel on April 4, one day after his famed “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech.

Legislation was signed in 1983 to mark the birthday of Dr. King as a federal holiday. Americans first observed the holiday in 1986. In 1994, Congress designated the holiday as a National Day of Service led by the Corporation for National and Community Service. Taking place each third Monday in January, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service is the only federal holiday observed as a National Day of Service – known as a “day on, not a day off.” The Day of Service strives to help empower individuals, strengthen communities, bridge barriers, address social problems, and move society closer to Dr. King's vision of a “Beloved Community.”

Accompanying Photo: Scene from 2021 "Day of Service" at Limestone University.