“Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.”

Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Drum Major Instinct, 1968

Athens Annual MLK Day of Service: January 15, 2007

Since 2002, Athens has carried out National and State award winning MLK Days of Service involving hundreds of volunteers each year to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Each year, the event gets bigger and better.  On MLK Days, we transform places people avoid into places people enjoy with one another.  We provide service activities for people of all ages and abilities so that they will come to value their community and the contributions of all who work to improve it.  (Click here to see photos from the 2006 MLK Day of Service.)

9:00 a.m. KICK OFF at the Athens Community Council on Aging, 135 Hoyt St

10:00 - 1:00 VOLUNTEER SERVICE ACTIVITIES: Activities for all ages the Athens Community Council on Aging, Brooklyn Cemetery, Gaines School Elementary, Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery, and Spalding Cemetery, Clarke Central High School, and Loop 10 Exit/Entrance ramps at MLK Parkway .  Wear work clothes, shoes and gloves. Bring gardening tools. Children must be accompanied by adults

1:00 - 4:00 MLK DAY CELEBRATION: Lunch, entertainment, inspirational speeches, educational activities, and arts & crafts at the Lyndon House Art Center – 293 Hoyt St

Volunteer Activities:

To learn more about the projects listed below or to sign-up to volunteer on this day, please contact Art Ordoqui at 2-1-1 or 706-353-1313 ext 231 or handson@communityconnection211.com.

1.) Planting trees and shrubs at the Council on Aging:  At the Athens Community Council on Aging, volunteers will plant trees as part of a reforestation pilot project on land to become part of the Greenway.  Volunteers will also plant trees and shrubs in a therapeutic courtyard for Council on Aging clients with memory deficiencies.

 2.) Gaines School Elementary School:  At Gaines School Elementary School, the Athens Clarke County Community Tree Council will oversee a Georgia Forestry Commission funded study to track the energy conservation benefits of growing shade trees on school property and plant landscapes that create outdoor classrooms to teach music and science. 

3.) Cleaning up Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery, Brooklyn Cemetery, and Spalding Cemetery: Since 2002, volunteers have been clearing brush from these historic African American cemeteries.  As a result of their efforts, loved ones can now access their relatives’ graves and pay their respects to our community’s leaders. 

4.) Landscaping at Clarke Central High School: Volunteers will landscape the Milleage Ave entrance. 

5.) Planting daffodils for the Loop 10 Beautification Project: Join Keep Athens Clarke County Beautiful in the second phase of planting on the 411/MLK Parkway on/off ramps. Volunteers will plant daffodils bulbs among the recently planted day lilies.

These service projects are a part of the day-long celebration of Dr. King’s legacy. The day begins with a march from UGA to the Council on Aging MLK Day of Service kick off and end with an afternoon celebration at the Lyndon House Art Center.  

The afternoon MLK Day celebration is becoming a popular Athens tradition.  From 1 – 4 p.m. on MLK Day, youth and adult musicians, dancers, poets, and speakers will inspire and educate the MLK Day of Service volunteers who come to the Lyndon House for lunch after completing their service activities. 

MLK Art Show at the Lyndon House: December – January 15, portraits of Dr. King by local artists and audio of his speeches will be exhibited at the Lyndon House.

Thanks to the Sponsors that make this great Day of Service in honor of Dr. King possible:

Thank you to the following organizating agencies and departments: