Community

Volunteers needed for expanded MLK efforts

The Rev. Dr. William Earl Thomas (center) with celebrants at the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial ceremony at Orient Congregational Church in January. Southold Town is looking to expand upon the annual event with a day of community service. (Credit: Katharine Schroeder)
The Rev. Dr. William Earl Thomas (center) with celebrants at the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial ceremony at Orient Congregational Church in January. Southold Town is looking to expand upon the annual event with a day of community service. (Credit: Katharine Schroeder)

Southold Town is thinking big for its annual celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Two days worth of events will kick off with the Anti-Bias Task Force’s annual celebration of Dr. King’s life and his contributions to the civil rights movement. The celebration is scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 18, at 4 p.m. at Orient Congregational Church and will be hosted by the Rev. Dr. H.G. McGee of First Baptist Church of Bridgehampton. 

Then, on Monday, Jan. 19 — Martin Luther King Jr. Day — the Southold Youth Bureau will organize the town’s first-ever Dr. King Day of Service. In the meantime, the youth bureau is asking members of the public to volunteer for one of several charitable events designed to benefit local churches, veteran organizations and other not-for-profits that day.

“We want to make it a day on, rather than a day off,” said Phillip Beltz, Southold Town’s special project coordinator and youth bureau director. “There are a significant number of projects and we are looking for volunteers to help with everything that’s going on.”

Some projects have been identified through service groups across the North Fork but cannot be undertaken without volunteers to see them through, he said.

In all, more than a dozen projects are being considered for the Dr. King Day of Service and volunteers of all ages are welcome. Organizations like North Fork Methodist Church, Cutchogue Cemetery and North Fork Animal Welfare League have all expressed interest in opening their doors to volunteers who can help those groups undertake projects. To get involved or learn more about contributing, contact Phillip Beltz at 765-5806 or [email protected].

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