Waco, Baylor Community Will Observe Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day with Day of Service

January 15, 2019
MLK 2018

People around the nation ' including at Baylor and throughout Waco ' will participate in Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service on Monday, Jan. 21, and serve in their communities and neighborhoods.

Media Contact: Lori Fogleman, Baylor University Media and Public Relations, 254-710-6275
Follow Lori on Twitter: @LoriBaylorU
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by Jessie Jilovec, student newswriter, Baylor University Media and Public Relations

WACO, Texas (Jan. 15, 2019) – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?’” To answer his question, people around the nation – including at Baylor University and throughout the City of Waco – will participate in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service on Monday, Jan. 21, and serve in their communities and neighborhoods.

MLK Day of Service is the nation’s largest day of civic engagement and the only federal holiday observed as a national day of service – a “day on, not a day off.” The annual event honors Dr. King’s legacy and provides an opportunity for Americans to renew their own personal vows of citizenship through service to others and engage in conversations to advance community goals.

Below are community events in Waco and at Baylor throughout the weekend to commemorate the holiday that celebrate the life and legacy of the late Civil Rights leader.

Friday, Jan. 18

At 11:30 a.m., the 29th Annual Wreath Laying Ceremony will gather at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park at 300 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Waco. The ceremony will begin at noon. For more information, contact Coque Gibson at 254-722-1274.

At 6:30 p.m., the Second Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Empowerment Banquet will begin at the Waco Multi-Purpose Facility, 1020 Elm Ave., and will be followed at 7 p.m. by a screening of the film “Born to Win” at the Waco Hippodrome, 724 Austin Ave.

Saturday, Jan. 19

Baylor student volunteers will work with Baylor Campus Kitchen to prepare box lunches from 9 to 11 a.m. that will be delivered on Monday's MLK Day of Service to volunteers working at least eight community gardens throughout Waco and with the Brazos River Cleanup. For more information, contact Libby_Feray@baylor.edu.

Monday, Jan. 21, MLK Day of Service

From 9 a.m. to noon, the 23rd Annual Peace March and Observance organized by Zeta Phi Beta Sorority and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity will take place at Indian Spring Park in downtown Waco. Free lunch and entertainment will follow at Bledsoe Miller Center, 300 N. MLK Jr. Blvd.

From 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Mission Waco will present its annual MLK program and service at the Jubilee Theatre, 1319 N. 15th St. Participants will hear from renowned speakers and watch creative performances. Lunch is free, and the program will include a racial reconciliation panel discussion. Group reservations are recommended. For more information, call 254-753-4900 or email John Calaway, executive director of Mission Waco at jcalaway@missionwaco.org.

From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Baylor students volunteers will have two service opportunities on MLK Day of Service: Volunteering alongside gardeners with the HOT Urban Gardening Coalition at various community garden locations across Waco and joining Keep Waco Beautiful with its Brazos River Cleanup. A bag lunch will be provided for volunteers. Locations will include the following:

• Baylor Community Garden - Completing rain barrel set-up, weeding, planting and general garden maintenance.
• Bell's Hill Elementary - Refurbishing gardening beds, weeding, spreading mulch around young trees and general garden maintenance.
• Brazos River Cleanup – Cleaning the areas around and on the shores of the river in partnership with Keep Waco Beautiful and Waco Paddle Company.
• Children's Garden and Outdoor Classroom (Lorena) - Refurbishing old garden beds by adding brackets to the corners, raking leaves, trimming trees, weeding beds and planting seeds.
• Crestview Elementary School.
• Indian Spring Middle School - Constructing new gardening beds, weeding, planting, spreading mulch and general garden maintenance.
• National Women in Agriculture Association Garden - Constructing new gardening beds, weeding and spreading mulch.
• Rapoport Academy.
• Tennyson Middle School Gardens - Spreading mulch, weeding and planting.
• Veteran's One Stop - Constructing new gardening beds, spreading mulch and planting.
• World Hunger Relief - Constructing new beds, spreading mulch and weeding.

Sign up here to volunteer with the HOT Urban Gardening Coalition or here to volunteer with Keep Waco Beautiful’s Brazos River Cleanup.

For more information about volunteering on Monday, email Doriann_Beverly@baylor.edu.

At 5:30 p.m. on the Waco Suspension Bridge, 300 N. MLK Blvd., community members will gather for the 33rd Annual MLK Candlelight Vigil. The program will begin at 6 p.m. Seating will be available, and guests should bring a candle. For further information, call 254-722-1274.

Tuesday, Jan. 22

From 6 to 8 p.m., the Baylor Department of Multicultural Affairs and Spirituality and Public Life will host the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Neighbor Night in the Bobo Spiritual Life Center, 500 Speight Ave. The event is free for all Baylor students, and dinner will be provided for the first 200 students at the event.

Wednesday, Jan. 23

From noon to 1:30 p.m. on the fifth floor of Cashion Academic Center, 1401 S. Fourth St., the Baylor Department of Multicultural Affairs will host the University's annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Luncheon, “Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” Dr. A. Marcus Nelson, superintendent of Waco ISD, will be the keynote speaker. Special guest David Pollard will perform excerpts from the speeches of Dr. King. Reservations must be made to attend. For ticket information, call 254-710-6948.

For more information regarding community and University events for MLK Day of Service, visit www.baylor.edu/diversity/MLKevents.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 17,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.