Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service
Monday, Jan. 21, 2019
On Monday, January 21st, RCCHC will celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Day of Service. Although our offices will be closed in observance, we invite you to use the day as a way to transform Dr. King’s life and teachings of equality and racial justice into community service that helps solve social problems. That service may meet a tangible need, such as fixing up a school or senior center, or it may meet a need of the spirit, such as building a sense of community or mutual responsibility.
You can find a service opportunity near you by visiting the Corporation for National and Community Service’s “FIND A VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY” page: https://www.nationalservice.gov/serve/
Or, offer to help an elderly neighbor or family member, tutor a child, babysit for family or friends, send a care package to a deployed soldier or to their family at home, offer a ride to someone you know doesn't have a car, or even donate blood or sign yourself up as an organ donor.
We have also included information on local events to attend in celebration of the day.
Coretta Scott King said, “The greatest birthday gift my husband could receive is if people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds celebrated the holiday by performing individual acts of kindness through service to others.”
“Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center is a part of the more than 50 year old Health Center Movement that was created in tandem with the Civil Rights Movement and the War on Poverty. I often say the charge of Movements is to MOVE. RCCHC has certainly been on the move for the past 13 years working diligently at improving the well-being of the residents of Hertford, Bertie, Washington, Gates and Northampton Counties. To be sure, moving only for the sake of change isn’t meaningful, but as Dr. Martin Luther King said “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but, whatever you do - you have to keep moving forward.”
For me, moving forward means opening my eyes, ears and heart to individuals, communities, cultures, systems, nature, to what I can learn to expand my horizons to serve. I appreciate that the motto for the Federal Dr. Martin Luther King Holiday is service…and the intention to empower individuals, strengthen communities, bridge barriers, create solutions to social problems, and MOVE us closer to Dr. King’s vision of a “Beloved Community.” I encourage all of us to reflect and consider how we may serve others next Monday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.”
Kim Schwartz, CEO