Today is a national holiday marking the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. On this day, we encourage you to take to heart the words of Dr. King:
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?”
Dr. King posed this question in the 1960’s, yet his words still resonate to this day. What do Dr. King’s words mean to you? I see this as a call to action.
This quote is an inspiration for people to think about their community and what they are doing to make it a better place. Anyone is capable of volunteering or providing service for the greater good. Whether it’s your team conducting a coat drive, serving meals at a soup kitchen, reading books at an assisted living facility, or picking up trash on your walk home – there are unlimited opportunities for service present. No matter our situation, we all have a civic responsibility to make our community a better place. No money or items required, just the willingness to do something, and the desire to give back.
On this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we urge you to take a moment and give back to your community in some way, shape, or form. The Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation relies on the support of volunteers to conduct our programming around the country. Without dedicated individuals donating their time and talents to enriching the lives of youth around this great nation, our programming would not be possible.
We leave you with an excerpt from The Drum Major Instinct by Dr. King, and hope you take the charge to donate your time, skills, or knowledge to the betterment of your community!
“Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don’t have to know Einstein’s “Theory of Relativity” to serve. You don’t have to know the Second Theory of Thermal Dynamics in Physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.”
