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MLK Day Offers Many Options For Community Service

By: Patrick Madden // January 17, 2011
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Monday's holiday celebrating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has also become a day of community service for many. One group is hoping Monday's call to service will lead to more volunteering down the road.

The HandsOn Network, the largest volunteer network in the country, says one of its main goals Monday is to get more people involved in service year-round.

Vice President Kimberly Boyd says the easiest way to do that is to make sure people follow their passions when they volunteer.

"Is it looking out for animals, or the environment, or caring for the hungry or homeless, or people with HIV or AIDS? And if you can find that passion, make your commitment for the year, is it once a week, once a month, is it something you do online," Boyd says.

There are a number of ways to find a project or group to volunteer with Monday. Serve DC, the District government's agency that coordinates these efforts, has an online database of service projects. People can also check out MLKDay.gov, run by the corporation for national and community service and lists project all over the region and the country.

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