Jan. 5, 2012
Hundreds of students, alumni, faculty, and staff - including President John Garvey and his wife, Jeanne - will serve neighbors in need on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. On Jan. 16, they will assemble on campus and fan out across Washington, D.C. Some will travel to the Washington Hebrew Congregation to prepare food, sort clothing, and make arts and crafts with children. Others will assist in beautification projects at local D.C. public schools alongside volunteers from City Year, a service organization that mentors students. Breakfast, lunch, transportation, and T-shirts will be provided.This is the seventh consecutive year Catholic University has organized service projects on MLK Day. Last year 300 people participated. MLK Day marks the anniversary of the birth of Martin Luther King Jr., who organized and led nonviolent marches, protests, and boycotts for the civil rights of African-Americans in the 1950s and '60s. All students, alumni, faculty, and staff are welcome to log their hours of service - including in MLK Day projects - to the Cardinal Service Commitment, a yearlong service campaign in conjunction with the University's 125th anniversary. In thanksgiving for more than a century of God's blessings at Catholic University, students, alumni, faculty, and staff are striving to perform 125,000 hours of service by Founders Day, April 10. As of Jan. 5, there had been 86,408 hours reported. For more information and to log hours, visit http://www.cua.edu/125/ .