MLK Day: "Day On," Not Day Off, Encouraged in Cedar Falls

Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday created to honor the memory of the fallen civil rights leader.

Many see a federal holiday as a day off from work, an extended weekend. But the Volunteer Center of the Cedar Valley and the are teeming together to encourage a "day on," instead of a day off.

The Volunteer Center writes on its website:

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "Life's most persistent and urgent question is: 'What are you doing for others?” Each year, Americans across the country answer that question by coming together on the King Holiday to serve their neighbors and communities.

The MLK Day of Service empowers individuals, strengthens communities, bridges barriers, creates solutions to social problems, and moves us closer to Dr. King’s vision of a beloved community.

 Students will volunteer at Catholic Worker House, Cedar Valley Hospitality House, Country View Care Facility, Grout Museum District and the Northeast Iowa Food Bank.

Community members are also encouraged to volunteer on Monday, and to use the day as a starting point for service in 2012.

The Volunteer Center lists 158 volunteer opportunities in the Cedar Valley. Just a few examples include helping serve meals at Catholic Worker House, acting as Quincy or Katie Koala or their friend to help sick or grieving children at Cedar Valley Hospice and helping out at the . Those interested in volunteering, either Monday or any day of the year, can call the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley at (319) 272-2087 or browse listings at the Center's website.

In addition to volunteering, UNI will mark MLK Day with a discussion by author and journalist Ellis Close at 7 p.m. Monday at UNI's Center for Multicultural Education.

Cose will discuss his book The End of Anger: A New Generation's Take on Race and Rage, and how it relates to Martin Luther King Jr.'s teachings and his fight for equality.