MLK Day of Service - “A Day On, Not A Day Off”
Photos from MLK Day of Service, January 2024
Women's basketball team painting at Jefferson
Painting the rainbow stairs at Jefferson
Weeding and mulching trees at Jefferson
Mulching trees at Jefferson
Tending the garden at the Boys and Girls Club
Mulching a garden bed at Freshwater Farms Reserve
Reflecting on their volunteer experience with the NRLT
77 volunteers joined the MLK Day of Service in 2024
MLK Day of Service
Each January, Cal Poly Humboldt students, staff, faculty, and community members are invited to join in a morning of community service on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This is a wonderful opportunity to contribute to local organizations while commemorating the life and legacy of Dr. King.
What is Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Why is it a “Day of Service?”
Legislation signed in 1983 marked the birthday of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as a federal holiday. In 1994, Congress designated the Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday as a national day of service. Each year, on the third Monday in January, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service is observed as a “day on, not a day off.
Who organizes this event?
The MLK Day of Service is a collaborative event organized by several programs at Cal Poly Humboldt. We are proud to partner with College of the Redwoods for MLK Day of Service in 2025.
Student Volunteer Reflection
“After attending my first MLK Day of Service event, I really look forward to being able to participate in future events like this one on campus and in the community! It was super rewarding being able to connect with peers in a face-to-face setting and share the significance of the holiday while giving back and building community with one another.”
- Autumn Cry-Mark, Cal Poly Humboldt student and Y.E.S. student leader
Community Partner Feedback
" MLK Day with YES House has become a tradition. From our inception, participants from the University have come and invested their time and talents in beautifying and building up our Community Center. The Jefferson Community Center, located in an formerly abandoned school, is founded and led by neighbors in the most ethnically diverse and lowest median income section of Eureka. Through volunteerism and community support, together we have created the bustling, beautiful heartbeat of our neighborhood. THANK YOU!"
“Together, we repaired a fence, removed over 2 truckloads of invasive vegetation, and just about 500 lbs of trash from this former dairy farm. After last weekend's winter storm and flooding, the community garden was looking rough, with sheet mulching that floated away, and vegetation that tangled into the fence and pulled it down during the flood. Now, the space looks better than ever - what would have taken staff a month to fix was done in a short 3 hours!”
- Northcoast Regional Land Trust (Instagram post 1/17/24)
“The work we did today saved me a month’s worth of work in 3 hours. This was huge! So amazing!”
- Matt Drummond, Community Garden Planner
MLK Day Collaborators
MLK Day of Service is Organized and Supported By:
- Division of Enrollment Management & Student Success
- Office of Student Life
- Youth Educational Services (Y.E.S.)
- Umoja Center
- Social Justice, Equity, and Inclusion Center
- Center for Community-Based Learning
- College of the Redwoods
MLK Day of Service Community Partners have included:
MLK Day of Service 2025
Event information coming later this fall.
January 15, 2024 8:00am-12:00pm
8:00-8:15am: Volunteer Registration & Breakfast Snacks/Coffee (catered)
Sign-in, release of liability and field trip roster forms
Glove distribution
Breakfast drink and light snacks available
- T-shirts available for the first 100 volunteers!
8:20am: Welcome Message
Welcome remarks
Project & logistics overview
8:30am: Group Photo
8:40am: Load Busses (or Vans) and Departure for Community-Based Sites
8:40-9:00am: Travel to Community Sites
9:00am-11:45am: Engagement at Community-Based Sites
Off Campus: 3 community sites (Eureka)
On Campus Service Event: Event Clean-Up and OhSnap!
11:45am-12:00pm: Return to Humboldt
Volunteer Event Details: MLK Day of Service - January 15, 2024
Cal Poly Humboldt students, staff and faculty, and community members are invited to participate in a morning of community service. Volunteer and support our Humboldt community!
T-shirts available for the first 100 volunteers. Breakfast snacks, coffee & tea provided.
Volunteer Projects / Community Site Descriptions
Oh Snap! Food Pantry - Cal Poly Humboldt Campus (10 volunteers)
Volunteers will help sort donations for the campus thrift store. Volunteers will also assist with food sorting and pantry cleaning to prepare for the first day of school! This program serves students at Cal Poly Humboldt in providing access to food and basic needs resources.
- Learn more about OhSNAP!
Boys and Girls Club of the Redwoods (10 volunteers)
Volunteers will help to clean, sort, and maintain high-use program spaces, including garden projects at the Eureka Clubhouse and Teen Center. The Boys and Girls Club of the Redwoods serves the community as a youth development program for children ages 6 to 18.
- Learn more about the Boys and Girls Club of the Redwoods
Jefferson Community Center (30 volunteers)
Volunteers will assist with indoor and outdoor site improvement projects at this urban community space in Eureka. The Jefferson Community Center and Westside Community Improvement Association (WCIA) supports and facilitates programs to revitalize neighborhoods by increasing recreational, educational and vocational opportunities.
- Learn more about the Jefferson Community Center
Northcoast Regional Land Trust (NRLT) (40 volunteers)
Volunteers will work outside to assist with invasive plant removal to enhance wetland restoration projects and improve the Freshwater Farms Reserve Nature Trail. Volunteers will also help develop a pollinator habitat. Join the Northcoast Regional Land Trust at the Freshwater Farm Reserve and help protect native plant biodiversity at this beautiful 74-acre property of protected wetlands and pastures.
- Learn more about the Northcoast Regional Land Trust
MLK Day Of Civic Engagement January 2021 and 2022 - A Recap
MLK Day Of Civic Engagement January 2021 and 2022 - A Recap
January 2022
Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Civic Engagement
“A Day On, Not A Day Off”
Closing Speaker: Bree Newsome
Virtual Speaker & Guest
Monday, January 17th, 2022
8:00am-1:30pm
Schedule for the Day
8:00-8:15am: Volunteer Registration & Breakfast Snacks/Coffee (catered)
- Sign-in, release of liability, and field trip roster forms
- T-shirt and glove distribution
- Drinks and granola bars available (room off lobby)
8:20am: Welcome Message
- Welcome remarks: Dr. Eboni Ford Turnbow
- Project & logistics overview: Melea Smith
8:30am: Group Photo
8:40am: Load Busses and Departure for Community-Based Sites
9:00-10:45am: Engagement at Community-Based Sites
- Off-campus: 3-4 community sites (Eureka and Arcata)
- On Campus: Event clean-up and OhSnap!
10:45-11:00am: Return to campus
11:00-11:15: Grab & Go Lunch
- Return work gloves
12:00-1:25pm: Closing Speaker (Bree Newsome)
- Hyflex event in the Great Hall (with Zoom access for virutal attendees)
- Closing speaker
- Q & A / Reflection
1:25-1:30pm: Evaluations
January 2021
Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Civic Engagement
“A Day On, Not A Day Off”
A Morning of Civic Engagement & Community Organizing Workshops
Monday, January 18th, 2021
9:30am-12:30pm
Schedule & Recordings for the Day
9:35-10:00am: Land/Labor Acknowledgement & Welcome Message
9:50-11:00am: Keynote Speaker - LaTosha Brown
11:05am-12:00pm: Break Out Sessions (2 workshops offered)
Art and Community Activism
Presented by: Aundrea Stuckey from Youth Art Will Succeed (Y.A.W.S.)
How art is used for activism, how art provides access to themes and information not offered by other mediums, and why art is sometimes more effective within activism in articulating a message. The event will be interactive and promote participation engagement.
Recording: https://humboldtstate.zoom.us/rec/share/n4txEt-_7QXcEWjCZXLvO1cNPk4-8L1jxTuk2cUSTLwyDblc1w1fJI4_0a7AxX9E.XbXjG4DZ30qYkXsq
The Salvation of Democracy: Civic Engagement of the Dispossessed
- Presented by: Ron White from Humboldt Area Foundation & Chair of a National Organizing Network
- Movements are often spearheaded by those most oppressed in society but results in the expansion of the democratic promise for all. This presentation will explore how marginalized communities have organized and breathed life into campaigns that have expanded our franchise of participation. We will use this conversation to explore what this means for local politics
- Recording: https://youtu.be/Ql7rEdeXG2I
12:00-12:30pm: Reflection & Closing
- Recording: https://youtu.be/TUYZzU7gKpg
