We’re kicking off 2024 by highlighting the annual MLK Day of Service hosted by the University of South Carolina Leadership and Service Center. This year’s MLK Day of Service is part of the monthly “Service Saturdays” program at USC where volunteers can help out at a range of service sites.
The Leadership and Service Center has built a variety of community partnerships throughout Columbia with the goal of providing opportunities for students to gain real-world knowledge about the challenges many U.S. residents and communities face. These partnerships also provide organizations with a way to improve their efficiency, quality of services, and extent of services. Examples of volunteer work previously done during Service Saturdays include trash pickups and maintaining gardens.
One of the community partnerships that will be highlighted during the MLK Day of Service is the Arc of South Carolina. Established in 1957 and with four different locations across the state, the Arc of South Carolina’s mission is to provide support for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. They address critical issues that this community faces ranging from quality of life to human and civil rights. Specific services offered by the Arc of South Carolina include assistance navigating and enrolling in the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs services, Autism Law and Emergency Response Training to teach first responders about how to best interact with individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and an Everyday Living program that helps teens and young adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities learn basic living and home skills.
The MLK Day of Service begins at 8:30am on Saturday, January 13th and will wrap up at around 12:30pm. Check-in and site selection will occur at 8:30am at Davis Field on the Longstreet Theater side. Along with the opportunity to volunteer at a campus or community site, this particular Service Saturday will also feature a guest speaker and the chance to compete in a PB&J Making contest for the Arc of South Carolina to address food insecurity in the region. Previous PB&J contests have resulted in over 4,600 sandwiches that were donated to hunger-focused organizations across the Midlands!
Details about the event:
- Saturday, January 13th from 8:30am-12:30pm
- Check-in at Davis Field in Columbia closest to Longstreet Theater
- Transportation to service sites will be provided, as will a pizza lunch when volunteers return to campus at approximately 12:30pm
- For more information and to register, please visit: https://sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/leadership_and_service_center/service_opportunities/volunteering/service_saturdays/index.php
January is the national awareness month for:
- National Blood Donor Month
- National Birth Defects Prevention Month
Through Our Eyes: Experiences from Genetic Counseling Students at the University of South Carolina 