Many leaders have influenced the history of our great nation. Perhaps, one of the most significant in modern times has been the legacy and teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
In recent years, Martin Luther King Day has urged people to celebrate Dr. King’s legacy of equality and community by having a “day on” with community service.
In a year where so many have lost so much, what better way to commemorate a man who committed his life to help heal and unite a nation for all then by reaching out, even in the smallest way.
Here are some ideas, for ALL ages, that will inspire your family to have a “day on” and commemorate MLK’s National Day of Service.
Ages 2-5
Donate Toys and Books
This is a great opportunity to enforce the ideas of giving as you and your kids can sort through the toy boxes and home library to find gifts to donate. Coming fresh off the heels of Christmas, what better way to celebrate and serve than to give thanks for the blessings in life and bless others?
{Please note: some thrift stores are still not taking donations due to Covid-19, so please check before drop-off.}
Food Bank
The family can make this a scavenger-hunt type adventure and a lesson in economics combined with an outreach. Give your kiddo cash and take them to the grocery store. Provide them with a list of needs at the local food pantry, such as Manna. In addition to canned goods, there is a need for peanut butter, pre-packaged meals (Hormel), and oatmeal. Then have the children fill the basket with the foods of their choice, all while meeting the budgeted amount.
Yes, feel free to go far over that amount, but the additional lesson is just a fun bonus, and your children will really enjoy paying for their donations “themselves” with that allotted cash.
Park Clean-up
Starting at 14 months, my youngest loved to help clean-up. Going to the park together as a family with trash bags to help beautify is a great way to serve both the community and the environment. Take a few sandwiches and enjoy a picnic afterward to complete the family outing.
First Responder Outreach
Sit down as a family and choose a great cookie recipe. Gather all the ingredients and spend the morning baking a couple of dozen cookies to distribute into tins. After, help your kiddos write a letter of gratitude to a first responder, then take the package to the local fire station or a police station.
Ages 6-12
Homeless Care Packages
Go to the store and grab a few small hand-held bags or LARGE zip lock bags to fill with several items: peanut butter crackers, toothbrush, toothpaste, water bottles, face cloth, fruit, etc. Create the bags together and then distribute them to friends and family to keep in their cars to bless someone in need.
Thank You Letters
I think we can all agree that 2020 brought a whole new level of stressors to those in the medical field. A good outreach could be showing appreciation to the nurses and doctors on the frontline by making and dropping off thank you letters/cards to the area hospitals and nursing homes.
Chores for Charity
Teaching our kids the value of hard work is a great idea to start early, but having them volunteer their hard work’s earnings takes on a new lesson. First, sit down as a family and research charities. Allow your son or daughter to choose the charity they would like to donate to. After, make a chart of “earnings,” providing a monetary amount to each chore. For instance, folding the laundry can be worth $5, while cleaning the bathroom is worth $10.
However you decide, the kids can decide what jobs they want to tackle and begin working towards a goal. Complete the project by “paying” them and then sending off the earnings.
Cards for Children at Ascension Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital
Pensacola is home to one of the best children’s hospitals in Northwest Florida. To help brighten children battling illness, have your own child gift them with handmade cards they create filled with jokes and personal artwork.
Teenagers
Babysit
Sitting is a time-old way for teens to make a little spending money. However, for an outreach, your adolescent can help a new parent by volunteering their service free-of-charge for the day.
Elderly Helper
One of the perks of your teen having a driver’s license is for them to help YOU with some errands. As an outreach, they can volunteer their time and wheels to help the elderly loved ones in your life. If errands around time are not needed, they can go over and volunteer to do yard work.
Prepare Meals
Your teen will be on their own in just a few short years, so basic cooking skills have probably already begun to be introduced in the household. A great outreach could be to do a week of freezer meals for a person in need. Sit down together and decide on a menu, grab the groceries, and turn on the tunes to create several meals to deliver with a smile.
Tutor
In the age of remote learning, this is a great outreach! After homeschooling my 14-year-old with Algebra last spring, I can tell you with confidence that a tutor was a GODSEND. Have your high schooler utilize their advanced course education (calculus, literature, chemistry) to tutor a family member or neighbor.
Dr. King’s speeches are read and studied in English classes around the country. There are parades in his honor and scholarships in memorial. He was just one person, one amazing man with a beautiful dream who ignited a movement.
Although these small acts of service may not seem monumental on this one day, they can ignite a movement within each of us to have that dream for our sweet community as well.
