“We hope that MLK’s activism and leadership will inspire students to be active members of their community and make an impact through service,” said Engage, Lead, Serve Board (ELSB) student leader Sydney Tharp.

Tharp and Loghan Currin are ELSB service co-coordinators and hope students see the as an opportunity to connect with the community and campus in a way that is impactful, intentional and engaging. ��

“Service can teach so much about leading and being human,” said Currin, who is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in the Individualized Major through the College of Arts and Sciences.��

Students will gather in the Swain Student Activities Center multipurpose room, W201, at 8:30 a.m. to participate in a short program before heading out to complete their service projects. The audience will hear from UofL Interim President Lori Gonzalez, one of UofL’s MLK Scholars and community leader Jackie Floyd, who will discuss a justice-based initiative focused on the people and places of Louisville’s Russell neighborhood.

Additional campus service locations are CASA of the River Region and Critically Loved. Several students also will stay on campus to help make fleece blankets for the homeless population. In addition to the Ronald McDonald House, other community service opportunities include: The Dream Factory, Harbor House of Louisville, Dreams with Wings Inc., and The Book Works.

The ELSB also has listed several to commemorate the life of Martin Luther King Jr., along with virtual services opportunities for students, staff and faculty.

The annual Day of Service has been an American tradition since 1994, running on the idea that the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday is a “day on, not a day off.” At UofL, the community service efforts are coordinated by the Engage Lead Serve Board.

Students this year volunteered at a variety of off-campus sites, from the Harbor House and Olmsted Parks Conservatory to La Casita and Kentucky Refugee Ministries. Students were also able to complete some projects on campus, including with UofL Composting.��

“It’s in honor of Dr. King’s vision of serving his community, making lives better, supporting people that need help, and that everyone has the capacity to give,” said Pam Curtis, director of the Office of Student Involvement.��

Check out the students’ efforts in their own words:��

The week kicks off Monday, Jan. 15, with the MLK Day of Service.��Legislation was signed in 1983 creating a federal holiday marking the birthday of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In 1994, Congress passed the King Holiday and Service Act, designating the MLK Jr. federal holiday as a national day of service. It is the only federal holiday observed as a national day of service. The UofL community will participate in the “day on, not a day off” event Monday at various sites throughout the city. Students will meet at 8:30 a.m. in Strickler Hall. This event is sponsored by the Engage, Lead, Serve Board.

The African American Theatre Program’s annual MLK Celebration is at 1 p.m. Jan. 15, with a staged reading of “Free Lunch,”a piece written by Troy Johnson. More information is .��

The Louisville Bus Civil Rights Tour is Jan. 16, with a 12:10 p.m. departure from the Cultural Center.��The City of Louisville was an active site during the Civil Rights Movement.��This tour explores how the 20th-century civil rights movement changed lives at the South’s northern border for African Americans and also for whites and, now, for the new immigrants who are bringing greater cultural diversity in the 21st century. Registration for the free tour can be done online.��

On Wednesday, Jan. 17, a film screening of “American Experience: Freedom Riders,” will be shown at 5:30 p.m. in Chao Auditorium of Ekstrom Library.��In 1961, segregation seemed to have an overwhelming grip on American society. That is, until an integrated band of college students – many of whom were the first in their families to attend a university – decided, en masse, to risk everything and buy a ticket on a Greyhound bus bound for the Deep South. They called themselves the Freedom Riders and this movie tells their story.��

For the full list of MLK Week events, .��

Monday marked the seventh year the university held the MLK Day of Service. About 225 participants completed projects at sites including Volunteers of America, Americana Community Center, Shelby Park, Sojourn Community Church, Kentucky Science Center, Louisville Nature Center, Louisville Urban League Saturday Academy, Uspiritus, Colon Cancer Prevention Project, Dreams with Wings and the Kristy Love Foundation.

Michael Mardis, dean of students and vice provost for student affairs, was among the volunteers who spent the afternoon at the Americana Community Center, completing projects such as sorting donations, organizing the library and clearing out old materials from the facility. Volunteers also learned about the mission of the center and how it helps refugee, immigrant and underserved families.

Mardis said the event brings the campus community together, with students from diverse student organizations working alongside one another. He said the event meets one of the university’s learning objectives in encouraging students to be engaged in the community.

��“We hope our students learn that they can give back and make a difference,” Mardis said.

See from the Americana Community Center project.��