Volunteers Sought For Flossmoor's Annual MLK Day Of Service

FLOSSMOOR, IL —As part of the Village of Flossmoor’s ongoing tradition of providing service opportunities for area residents as part of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, organizers are seeking volunteers to help carry out the projects.

The local Day of Service initiative connects hundreds of volunteers with area organizations as part of the effort to turn a day off into a “day on”, which will take place on Jan. 15. As Flossmoor approaches its 100th birthday in 2024, the Flossmoor Community Relations Commission is challenging individuals and non-profit organizations to make this the upcoming project the biggest Day of Service yet in the Village.

Currently scheduled projects in need of volunteers include:

• Donating blood at Irwin Community Center (18120 S. Highland Ave., Homewood) from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., organized by Chi Lambda Lambda Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.
• Assembling care packages and accepting donations for Prairie State College’s TRIO program at Western Avenue Elementary School (940 Western Ave., Flossmoor), organized by Jack and Jill Monarch Cities Chapter.
• Picking up litter at Sand Ridge Nature Center (15981 Paxton Ave., South Holland) from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
• Making lunches for South Suburban PADS and tie blankets for Project Kennedy at Heather Hill Elementary School (1439 Lawrence Crescent, Flossmoor) from 10 a.m. to noon, organized by You Matter 2.
• Organizing food items and making blankets at Spotlight Performance Academy (18022 Dixie Hwy., Homewood) from 9 a.m. to noon.
• Reading with the Homewood-Flossmoor High School Wrestling teams at the H-F Fieldhouse on Governors Highway from 10 a.m.-Noon. Donated children’s books are also needed.

“We currently have a dozen registered service projects and would like to double — or triple — that number,” Stephanie Wright, the Village of Flossmoor’s community engagement manager, said in a news release. “The collaborative nature of service projects, especially in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., provides a unique opportunity for team building, as people work together towards a common goal and share in the experience of completing a task together.”

In addition to active service projects, donation boxes will be available at Flossmoor Village Hall (2800 Flossmoor Road) beginning Dec. 1 for the following projects:

• Girl Scout Troop 65152 is requesting new socks, gloves, and scarves to donate to women, men, and children through Respond Now.
• Jack and Jill of America Inc.’s South Suburban Chapter will be collecting non-perishable food items for its Souper Bowl of Caring to benefit the Bloom Township Community Pantry.
• Plan4Success is asking for donations of packaged, store-bought baked goods for local service agencies that serve our community, such as teachers and first responders throughout the South Suburbs.

For more information, to share an idea, to sign up for or to host a service project, interested residents can click here or call (708) 335-5472.