'Fulfilling the dream of Dr. King': Oakland launches MLK 40 Days of Service to clean, green community
OAKLAND Calif. (KGO) -- Markus Von Euw represents the organization Service for Peace. His group received a grant to support and promote Oakland's MLK 40 Days of Service initiative. Rather than honoring Dr. King on just one day, service work will continue through the end of Black History month.
Von Euw has participated like this for decades and hopes others will start doing it too.
"The 40 years is not a new idea," Von Euw said. "We've been trying to promote that for years, but this year more than ever it has become a great opportunity because we want to avoid big gatherings."
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If you're interested in participating, you can go to City of Oakland's website. You'll eventually be directed to an area where you can select where you'd like to volunteer. You can report how many hours you work, what you do, and see what others have done.
"Dr. King, he said, 'Life's most persistent and urgent question is, What are you doing for others?' With us facing so many challenges, so many situations when we can feel hopeless, I think it's even more important that we think about others," Von Euw said.
Von Euw knows in this climate, many of us are feeling stressed and worried. He believes getting outside and doing some safe and socially distant service in the name of someone like Dr. King can only make you feel at least a little better.
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"When we think about others and do things for others, I think we're creating hope, and we're creating peace. We're really fulfilling the dream of Dr. King by service to create a beloved community," he added.
For more information on the organization and volunteer opportunity, click here.
