2022 MLK DAY OF SERVICE MOVED TO REMOTE ACTIVITIES
THANKS TO AN OVERWHELMING RESPONSE FROM THE COMMUNITY, OUR REMOTE PROJECT KITS ARE COMPLETELY SOLD OUT.
However, volunteers are still invited to participate in the VC’s planned remote projects on their own:
No-Sew Blankets — You can purchase your own 4 yards of fleece to make blankets for the homeless at home. You are welcome to drop off your blankets on Monday, January 17th or Saturday, January 22nd at the location and time below, and we will deliver them to the grateful nonprofits for distribution to the homeless. COMPLETE BLANKET-MAKING INSTRUCTIONS HERE: 2022 No-Sew Blanket instructions PDF
Other Projects — We will be posting the instructions for the kits we offered as well as additional projects for volunteers to create and donate using materials they have at home. Stay tuned and thank you for your patience!
The nonprofit clients we are supporting will also be included in the project kit instructions.
Timeline for those who already pre-ordered kits:
Kits that have already been ordered will be available for pick up on MLK Day, anytime between noon and 4pm on Monday, January 17th at the Community House in Winnetka, 620 Lincoln Avenue, Room 111D. Enter from the parking lot off Lincoln Avenue behind the Community House.
Completed projects must be returned on Saturday, January 22nd between noon and 4pm in Room 111D of the Community House. NOTE: We appreciate busy Saturday schedules, so please let us know when you pick up your kits if you need to arrange a drop-off that works for you. You might also finish your projects on MLK Day and drop them back to us at the Community House by 4pm!
We are also proud to once again support the New Trier Township Food Pantry clients as we do every year at our MLK Day event by providing volunteers an opportunity to donate laundry detergent at the time of project pick up and drop offs.
SPECIAL THANKS TO THE CHALET, THE WINNETKA COMMUNITY NURSERY SCHOOL, THE COMMUNITY HOUSE AND THE VOLUNTEER COMMUNITY FOR THEIR GENEROUS SUPPORT.
The Volunteer Center has been hosting this day to help others since 2005. We appreciate your remote participation this year and hope to meet you in person next year for our 2023 MLK Day. But in the meantime, below are opportunities for you to continue the tradition with directions to complete projects at your location. Most of the projects have materials you can find in your home or are not difficult to purchase. Feel free to be creative with any supplies you have. However, please do not use any glitter in your projects – they are dangerous inhalants for those in the hospital or those with breathing issues, and a MESS to clean up.
Completed Projects: We will deliver your completed projects to our nonprofit recipients assigned if you drop them off to the Community House in Winnetka on Saturday, January 22nd at the Community House, 620 Lincoln Avenue, Room 111D, between noon and 4pm. If you finish them on MLK Day, Monday, January 17th, feel free to drop them off to us between noon and 4pm in room 111D in the Community House. If that time or day does not work for you, please contact us at info@volunteercenterhelps.org
PROJECTS AND INSTRUCTIONS
KINDNESS ROCKSdedicated to our very hardworking healthcare workers.
Materials:
Smooth, flat (river rocks) – any size – best are rocks a minimum of 3”. You can buy them at craft stores or online OR if you have any paintable small rocks at home.
Permanent Markers, paint markers or acrylic paint and brush.
Messages should relate to healthcare workers. When you are finished, find a public area outdoors you would like to place the rock – if you know a healthcare worker, put it outside his or her door or someplace where others will see it. Please keep their names anonymous. Then kindly take photos of the rock – you can be in the photo as well, and send a good quality jpeg of your photo to us at: info@volunteercenterhelps.org and we will put it on our website and our e-news. Don’t delay – please send us your photos by January 24 at the latest.
FRIENDSHIP AND/OR VALENTINES NOTES For Seniors, Veterans, Children in Hospitals
Materials:
8.5×11 white cardstock, fold in half
Colored Pencils, markers, crayons, watercolor paints – whatever your preference.
Carefully plan your cover and message inside, keeping in mind the recipient category of your choice. We have included colored pencils for the artists and adults and crayons for the rising artists. Of course, if you have the 240 count crayons at home, dig in and use them!
If you want sign your name, please use your first name. If your very young child creates a card all on his or her own (recommended), please feel free to sign it from a very caring 2 or whatever age year old. But understanding it came from a very young child makes it very special.
TRAY FAVORS For Seniors in Residential Facilities
Coffee Filter Butterflies
Materials: White Coffee Filters • Markers Clothesline clips
Instructions:
Color Coffee filter with markers
If using water-based markers, mist colored filters with water – the colors will bleed, making interesting designs. Dry for 20-30 minutes.
If using permanent markers, do not mist with water. Draw with any design, or duplicate actual butterfly patterns found in nature like monarchs, etc.
Clip middle of filter with clothesline clip and draw a face on the butterfly
BRACELETS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH AT RISK
Materials:
Craft Beads, pony, wooden, or any others of your choosing • Pipe Cleaners or elastic or plastic craft thread
Have fun being creative with patterns and colors! Make as many as you would like. This bracelet is intended to let the recipients know there are kind people out there who wish them well. If using the pipe cleaner, twist the ends a few times, then tuck into the first and last bead.
T-SHIRT BRAIDED DOG TOYS For Dogs at Orphans of the Storm
Materials:
Find 3 T-shirts of similar width. Large size shirts work best.
Scissors
Instructions:
Lay the T-shirts flat. Begin by making each T-shirt a square or rectangle, by cutting straight across both sides of the shirt from one armpit to the other.
Starting from the bottom of the shirt, cut three 5” high horizontal bands across the width of the shirt. Discard any bands that are not 5”.
Cut one end of each of the bands to form 3 long ropes of fabric.
Tie the 3 ropes together at the top.
Braid the ropes very tightly with1person firmly holding the knot at the tied end.
Secure the end with another knot.
Each set of 3 T-shirts should make 1 to 2 of the long toys. Use the rest of the T-shirts by braiding shorter swatches of T-shirt fabric cut from the sleeves across. (Instead of having a band to cut and make a long rope, you will have 2 half sized ropes)
THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP!
Don’t forget to drop off your completed projects (and detergent if you choose to donate some to the NTT Pantry) Saturday January 22ndat the Community House in Winnetka between 12pm & 4pm
Take a Look at Past MLK Day Activities.
Many of these projects will still be available to your small group, family and friends to complete in your own location. We intend to honor Dr. King’s Legacy again this year – safely apart – but together in our purpose.
Making no-sew blankets for the homeless is one of the favorite MLK Day activities.
It’s a wonderful activity for fathers and sons…
…mothers and daughters…
…or whole families to do together.
Also a great activity to share with good friends!
These young adults make Welcome Cards for refugees…
One of our youngest volunteers making Valentines at annual MLK Jr. Day of Service
The Open Mic offers an opportunity for everyone to reflect on Dr. King’s message and its relevance today.
This couple has been coming to MLK Day for over 10 years!
Animal Cards, Birthday Bags and Valentines are great projects for all ages.
Celebrating the legacy and spirit of Dr. King through Service.
A worthwhile service project for Scouts and community groups.
Winter coats, boots, hats and gloves were donated and delivered to shelter residents.
Carloads of blankets and dog toys ready for delivery!
Almost 600 volunteers create over 1200 items to be donated to 10+ nonprofits.
Questions? Email info@volunteercenterhelps.org, or phone 847-441-7665.
Now is your chance to clean out your closets to help nonprofits who serve people in need in our local community. Make A Difference Day is one of the North Shore’s premiere days of service that is a perfect opportunity to join with your family, friends, school and community group to recycle your gently-used goods to benefit nonprofits who need them. Please sort, bag & label your items then drop them off at the Indian Hill Train station in Winnetka (111 Green Bay Road) on Saturday, October 23rd from 9-12. See you there!
Please Sort, Bag & Label Your Items for Each Organization Below Before You Donate
Books4Cause — Gently used books, all genres, including textbooks, CDs, DVDs and vinyl
Connections for the Homeless — Disposable NEW men’s razors, men’s coats and warm outerwear (boots, gloves, etc.), duffels, backpacks and rolling suitcases
Counseling Center of the N.S. — Women’s clothing and coats, & men’s clothing (Connections for the Homeless is collecting men’s coats)
Gears 4 Goals — Sports equipment – no golf, hockey or ski equipment
Junior League of Evanston/North Shore — Casual Purses, formal dresses, warm outerwear (no men’s), household items and NEW travel-sized or small toiletries:
The crisis in Afghanistan has humanitarian implications across the globe, including right here in Chicago. VC partners Madonna Mission, Refugee One and World Relief are springing into action to help refugees fleeing the danger in Afghanistan settle into new homes and build new lives as we welcome them to our community. They need help.
VOLUNTEER – Support refugee neighbors in Chicago by volunteering as a mentor for 2 educational programs:
English as a Second Language (ESL) – Tutoring for refugee women – Both remote and on-site tutoring options available. All persons participating in on-site tutoring must be vaccinated. For remote tutoring, you and your assigned student have the flexibility to choose a day and time that works for both.
Offered Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday from 9:30-11am
After School Program (ASP) – Homework help/reading program for refugee students grades K-8. Vaccinations required for volunteers.
Offered Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday from 4-5:30 pm
DONATE – Make an immediate difference today through in-kind donations of basic teaching tools, or financial support. Donate here.
VOLUNTEER – With new arrivals, we will need all hands on deck and are especially in need of volunteers, with flexible schedules, to help with the arrival process. Volunteers help us with critical needs like setting up apartments and welcoming families at the airport. Apply to volunteer here.
LOCATE HOUSING – Not only will we be in need of volunteers, but we will also be in need of housing opportunities for those coming to the Chicagoland area. If you, or anyone you know, has access to rental property that is available at an affordable rate, contact Robin Johnson at RAJohnson@wr.org
DONATE – Make a one-time or recurring gift to help families fleeing violence and persecution. Your gift helps cover the immediate basics like food, housing, transportation, and also supports families to begin to rebuild their lives here in Chicagoland. Donate here.
VOLUNTEER TO BE A MENTOR OR TUTOR – As families arrive, they’ll need volunteers to support them! See more here about becoming a volunteer mentor or tutor for refugee adults or youth. Find out about being a volunteer mentor or tutor here.
ORGANIZE A CO-SPONSOR TEAM – Interested in organizing a co-sponsor team to help welcome a newly arriving refugee family by raising funds, setting up an apartment, and walking alongside them as they adjust? Join the live co-sponsor info session on September 29 or 30. Find out more and sign up here.
DONATE – Help provide housing assistance, English classes, employment coaching, academic support, mental health services, and more. Donate here.
Summer is a great time to volunteer at a local nonprofit. Let us help you help others!
Have a particular cause you would like to support? Not sure what you would like to do? Simply visit our listing of 165 nonprofits to check out their missions and volunteer needs. When you see something that might be of interest, you can send a message directly to the nonprofit letting them know you’re interested and available. It’s that easy!
The Volunteer Center and New Trier Township are sponsoring a free community-wide Document Shredding and Disposal Event — and we need volunteers!
WHEN: Saturday, November 13th from 8:30am-11:30am
WHERE: In the parking lot of Regina Dominican High School, at 701 Locust Road in Wilmette.
This safe, contactless, drive-through event is a great opportunity to protect your financial privacy and prevent identity theft by destroying financial and other private documents before you dispose of them.
We are looking for volunteers to help unload documents from donor’s cars and loading them into the shredding truck, and to help with cleanup.
To volunteer, or for more information, email Barb Tubekis at info@volunteercenterhelps.org
The Volunteer Center and James Martin Associates Host A Special Opportunity to Honor Earth Day
Saturday, April 24th, from 9:30-11:30 am
Individuals and families are invited to participate in this year’s National Earth day theme, “Restore Our Earth” by removing invasive plants and other projects that will help restore native habitat for birds and pollinators in Harbert-Payne Woods in Evanston on the North Shore Channel.
Registration is required, as the project is limited to 30 people, ages 5 through adult
In order to accommodate safe distancing — and to facilitate small group led projects by the Woods’ lead volunteers — registration is limited. Please do not delay your reservations! To Reserve space(s), email Barb Tubekis at info@volunteercenterhelps.org. Once we have your registration we will provide you the exact park location to meet us the morning of the 24th. We will also email you a waiver to sign and bring with you from the City of Evanston as protocal. There will be some supplies available, but volunteers are encouraged to bring shovels or hand trowels, work gloves, water bottles and sun protection and Masks are required. There are no fees required, but donations are welcome for the Channel Habitat Fund to purchase more plants to support the restoration work at Herbert-Payne Park and the Ladd Arboretum.
More info About the Project and Harbert-Payne Woods
Allison Sloan, a steward of the Channel will provide information about the project and its importance of these three acres of cottonwood forest along the east bank of the North Shore Channel. Over time, the woods have become overgrown with invasive buckthorn bushes and strewn with dead ash trees killed by the invasive emerald ash borer beetle. Community members have come together to replace the invasives with native shrubs and wildflowers to provide food and cover for native songbirds, and to plant a forest of native food-producing plants for humans to educate future generations about the critical role of wild foods in our ancestors’ survival. After all, wild onions are the namesake for “Checagou” by Native Americans.
About James Martin Associates Landscaping
Project sponsor and Volunteer Center partner James Martin Associates has been designing and managing practical, creative and award-winning landscapes in the Chicagoland region since 1977. They are a nationally recognized, employee-owned landscaping firm as well as a steward of our environment. Through the use of recycled materials created at their facility and an emphasis on green and lean strategies, they do their part to help maintain the environment for their clients.
About the Volunteer Center
Established in 1960, The Volunteer Center (VC) works with over 165 nonprofit partner organizations to help individuals, families, and service groups find ways to volunteer their time and help others in the community. We also help groups develop and implement effective service-learning programs in schools, faith-based organizations and civic groups, and sponsor community Days of Service.
Additional Opportunities to Learn and Serve on MLK Day
Although we will not be hosting our MLK Day of Service in person this year, we would like to provide volunteers meaningful ways to honor the extraordinary legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We have some suggestions for individuals or families to engage in productive activities to help advance social justice in this unsettling year of racial strife. We are inviting volunteers to make the no-sew blankets that have been a part of our MLK Day of Service since we began in 2005. See below for project details and drop-off requirements.
Also listed on this page are additional educational and impactful service resources for people of all ages and interest levels.
No-Sew Blanket Project Details
I. Make your blanket(s) in your own home, then drop them off at the Community House either on MLK Day or the following Saturday. We will deliver them to local nonprofits that support at-risk and homeless communities.
II. Drop off your completed blanket(s) at the Community House on MLK Day, Monday, January 18th or January 23rd between 10am and 1pm only on both those days. The VC board members will be collecting the blankets at the Community House in Winnetka in the Pine Street Parking lot entrance with the large awning.
III. You may purchase your own four yards of fabric at a local fabric store, or buy one of the Volunteer Center’s limited supply of 36 blanket sets (includes four yards of fleece fabric) we have available for $20 each.
NOTE: If you are interested in buying one or more of our 36 blanket sets, email the Volunteer Center at info@volunteercenterhelps.org for information about how to reserve your blanket sets and when and where to pick them up. The blankets are on a first come-first served basis and we will have them available until all sets are purchased.
IV. Blanket Instructions
Additional MLK Day Educational and Service Resources
People across the United States may choose to make an immediate impact with hands-on traditional service projects that support the homeless and other poverty stricken communities, but there are other ways to honor Dr. King’s legacy of furthering equality and civil rights in a direct, educational way that helps us understand and support racial justice. This is an opportunity to honor the legacy of Dr. King, and continue his mission to empower and strengthen local communities.
*Please participate in the HEROS – Healing Everyday Racism in our Schools Virtual Workshop, Jan 17th, 2-4pm:In partnership with HEROS, the Volunteer Center is proud to invite N.E. Metro Community Members to register for this Virtual Workshop on Sunday, January 17th from 2-4pm. Educational and productive online workshop that features five breakout Session appropriate for adults, parents and teens to learn how we can become The Beloved Community. Additional information and Registration here.
A note about volunteerism in honor of Dr. MLK, Jr.: Dr. Bernice King (Daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King and Director of The King Center in Atlanta, Georgia): ”And so in terms of volunteerism, this is a marathon that we’re talking about when you are committing to eradicating, dismantling racism. It’s not a sprint. It’s not a singular act. It’s continual struggle, it’s continual work, it’s continual education, it’s continual stretching, it’s continually getting out of your comfort zone, it’s continually being willing to share power. It’s continual sacrifice.”
The United Way of Illinois Launches ’21 Week Equity Challenge. Participate!
From Martin Luther King Jr. Day (1/18) to Juneteenth (6/19), participants will complete weekly learning assignments about equity, racism, bias and more. The 15-minute assignments include readings, videos, and questions for participants to consider. Upon completion, they’ll receive a digital certificate and tips and tools to help continue the conversation in their local community. Information and registration here.
This MLK Day on Monday, January 18th, the organization 9/11 Day encourages you to honor the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. by taking a moment to visit 911day.org and performing one of the good deeds we’ve curated in observance of the 26th annual MLK Day of Service. As a federally recognized day of service, we at 9/11 Day are proud to support MLK Day. Our website features more than 50 activities you can consider for MLK Day or any other day of the year. Most of our online service ideas are 100% free for you to perform and can all be completed quickly and safely from your own home computer or mobile device.
Please take a moment now to visit 911day.org to learn more. Also consider visiting the official federal website for MLK Day as well.
Join an MLK Day On-line Observance, The Beloved Community Global Summiton January 14th and 15th
Sponsored by The King Center in Atlanta, Georgia. This is an opportunity for mission aligned individual organizations who are dedicated to creating the Beloved Community to come together and share ideas. Participants will hear from a myriad of national and international individuals who share their vision for a more just, humane, equitable and peaceful world. https://thekingcenter.org/event/2021-king-holiday-observance-beloved-community-global-summit/
From the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS – Americorps)
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – Historical timeline of the Day, Traditions, MLK Day Stats, and How to Observe Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Support the Efforts of The Lawndale Christian Legal Center (LCLC) – An Important Restorative Justice Organization
Lawndale Christian Legal Center: “We can put just justice back in the criminal justice system. We’ve already begun in North Lawndale, one of the most segregated, under-resourced and heavily policed neighborhoods in Chicago.” LCLC is working to break the arrest/incarcerate/release/repeat cycle that continues to threaten young lives and decimate the North Lawndale community. They negotiate peace within the community and help emerging adults find a more constructive solution to repair harm than incarceration. This is a valuable opportunity for those who work within the criminal justice system. Join their efforts – LCLC.net
AGE ORIENTED PROJECT RESOURCES
Your children are for the most part not too young to learn to understand ways to embrace people of all colors, abilities and cultures. Understanding the history of racism and how far we still need to go to create Dr. King’s “Beloved Community” in this country is an essential part of volunteer participation.
• Do the necessary work: Before you can take actions against racism, it’s important that you do the necessary work. You need to not only do the research to understand the issues, but need to do some self-reflection about your views on racism as well.
• Power in the people: The real solutions come from the power of the people. You need to first listen to understand the issues and then have the right people at the table.
• Move from being safe to brave: Safe won’t solve the problems that we’re in, so we have to be brave to speak truth to power. We have to challenge thoughts and know that in doing so we may make people uncomfortable.
• We created these systems of inequity: When it comes to systemic racism, it’s important to remember these systems were created by people. We are all a part of a system, and to dismantle racism we need to make individual commitments to not be silent in these environments.
• We have the power to create change: We as individuals collectively have the power to change what we’re calling, ‘systemic racism’ by starting with ourselves and making a commitment in the environments where we find ourselves. We need to ensure we are identifying and exposing systems of racism, while offering suggestions on how we build a new table with everyone at the table represented.
TEENS THROUGH ADULTS
HOW TO BE AN ANTIRACIST, by Ibram X. Kendi
IBRAM X. KENDI is a New York Times bestselling author and the founding director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University. A professor of history and international relations and a frequent public speaker, Kendi is a columnist at The Atlantic. In How to Be an Antiracist, Kendi takes readers through a widening circle of antiracist ideas—from the most basic concepts to visionary possibilities—that will help readers see all forms of racism clearly, understand their poisonous consequences, and work to oppose them in our systems and in ourselves.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
The following questions were provided to enlist thought provoking discussion opportunities to understand Anti-Racism.
In How to Be an Antiracist, Kendi shares his own experience with racist thinking. How does his honesty help give us space to acknowledge and name our own racist behaviors and attitudes?
Kendi writes, “The only way to undo racism is to constantly identify it and describe it—and then dismantle it.” Why does he believe we need to call out racism when we see it, even if it can be uncomfortable to identify?
The book’s central message is that the opposite of “racist” isn’t “not racist.” The true opposite of “racist” is antiracist. “The good news,” Kendi writes, “is that racist and antiracist are not xed identities. We can be racist one minute and an antiracist the next.” What does it mean to have to constantly rea rm your identity as an antiracist? Is there any benefit to the fact that you can’t just decide you are “not racist” or an antiracist and be done with it?
What is the first step you, personally, will take in striving to be an antiracist? How will you check yourself and hold yourself accountable if you notice you, or someone else, is being racist?
Kendi thinks that we should assess candidates as being racist or antiracist based on what ideas they are expressing and what policies they are supporting—and not what they say is in their bones or their heart. Do you agree with him? Why or why not?
Anyone who values immigrants from European countries and devalues immigrants from Latin America is guilty of racism. Have you ever been guilty of this type of racism? Discuss the unique resilience and resourcefulness people possess if they leave everything in their native country behind and immigrate to another, as Kendi examines in the chapter on Ethnicity.
There’s a stronger and clearer correlation between levels of violent crime and unemployment levels than between violent crime and race, but that’s not the story policymakers have chosen to tell. Discuss why you think this is. How might our society and culture change if policymakers characterized dangerous Black neighborhoods as dangerous unemployed neighborhoods?
Why do you think it is so hard for people to not assess other cultures from their own cultural standards? How does doing this trap people in racist ideas?
Inequities between Light and Dark African Americans can be as wide as inequities between Black and White Americans. How have you seen colorism play out in real life and/or in the media?
Kendi writes, “White supremacist is code for anti-human, a nuclear ideology that poses an existential threat to human existence.” How are white supremacists and their ideology actually harmful to all of humanity—including white people?
Kendi makes the case that to be antiracist, one must stand against all forms of bigotry. Why is standing against other bigotries so essential to standing against racism?
Kendi closes the book comparing racism and cancer. What do you think of this comparison?
Kendi believes we can defy the odds, heal society of racism, and create an antiracist society. Do you? Why is hope so central to the antiracist movement?
THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST AND DEDICATION TO SOCIAL JUSTICE!
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