Community Corner

What is the Meaning of Service?

Monday, January 21 is MLK Day and a day of service.

 

"Service" as defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary: The occupation or function of serving; the work performed by one that services; contribution to the welfare of others.

None of those definitions, however, seem exactly right. Maybe because it’s hard to fit all that one word means into a statement. Maybe the better definition isn’t a statement at all, but the question Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once asked: "Life's most persistent and urgent question is: 'What are you doing for others?'

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These days that can be a hard question to answer.

ust weeks after the holiday season when most of us have been bombarded with messages of giving, when our bank accounts and personal time are still recovering it can be hard to find the finances, not to mention energy to give more.

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But now more than any other time is when it might be most important to give. Many charitable organizations quickly fall off the radar of their communities after the holidays, but that doesn’t mean they still don’t need help, and some organizations are busy planning their busy season desperately seeking volunteers.

Monday, Jan. 21, 2013 is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It is also a day of service. The MLK Day of Service is part of United We Serve and asks Americans to pledge to spend a day making a positive impact on their community. You can search for opportunities on the MLK Day of Service website, register your own Day of Service, and also check out Patch’s volunteers needed section.

There are many local opportunities to get you started:

Pledge to be a volunteer for local programs and organizations such as the Madison Food Pantry, Shoreline Soup Kitchens and Pantries, Families Helping Families, Literacy Volunteers, Forgotten Felines, the Shoreline Community Women, to name a few.

If you know of a local opportunity, please add it in the comment section.


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