The University of Central Arkansas will host a week of volunteer, awareness and advocacy opportunities from Monday, Jan. 18 through Friday, Jan. 22, as part of the national observation of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.
The annual Day of Service event honors King’s legacy and is an opportunity for Americans to renew their own personal vows of citizenship through service to others and engage in conversations to advance community goals.
UCA’s BearsServe Leaders, an AmeriCorps program, will partner with the Community Action Program for Central Arkansas (CAPCA) to pack kits for homeless individuals for Project Homeless Connect. Community members are invited to submit notes of encouragement for homeless community members, which AmeriCorps members will include in the kits to be distributed throughout the week of Jan. 18. Handwritten notes can be dropped off in Brewer-Hegeman Conference Center, Suite 102, on the UCA campus or submitted electronically here.
Other activities include a National Day of Racial Healing-focused Conway Conversations online event from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19, and a panel discussion featuring central Arkansas activists and advocacy leaders from 1:40 to 2:40 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21.
“COVID-19 has presented many challenges for our communities this year, including challenges for nonprofits engaging volunteers,” said Victoria Mays, UCA volunteer coordinator. “We are excited to be able to offer a variety of ways for UCA students and community members to safely observe the MLK Day of Service this year, whether they want to write a note of encouragement or learn how they can get more involved as an advocate for a cause they care about.”
Through funding from EngageAR, BearsServe Leaders will also be able to supply additional needed items for the kits provided by CAPCA. EngageAR has invested $11,650 in 10 service projects across the state for this year’s Day of Service. Project focus areas range from educating youth about civic engagement and getting communities involved in serving their neighbors, to addressing food insecurity and homelessness.
Details and registration for all events are available at uca.edu/go/MLK2021.
About EngageAR
The mission of EngageAR is to foster a culture of service to strengthen communities and solve local problems. In addition to managing the State AmeriCorps sub-grant program, the office works to build collaboration across federal and state agencies, community-based organizations and national service programs to improve lives and strengthen communities. For more information about EngageAR, visit volunteerar.org/about-us or find them on social media (Facebook: @EngageAR; Instagram: @Engage_AR; LinkedIn: EngageAR).
About BearsServe Leaders
The UCA BearsServe Leaders program is an AmeriCorps program administered by the UCA Service-Learning Program through the Division of Outreach & Community Engagement. BearsServe Leaders are a cohort of UCA students placed with selected nonprofit community partners to complete an intensive service experience over the course of an academic year. For more information about UCA’s Service-Learning Program, visit uca.edu/servicelearning. For more information about UCA’s AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps VISTA programs, visit uca.edu/americorps.
