Radford University’s Center for Diversity and Inclusion is hosting its 13th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025.
Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to volunteer at community service events on campus and around the New River Valley in honor of King’s legacy.
“It’s a day on, not a day off,” emphasized Shannon K. Shastry, director of Radford’s Center for Diversity and Inclusion.
The event runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and registration is available online. Shifts are available from 8 a.m. to noon and from noon to 4 p.m.
Each volunteer will receive a free T-shirt.
Since its inception in 2014, the MLK Day of Service event has been celebrated on the third Monday in January in conjunction with the National Day of Service, a federal holiday. Fifty Radford students participated in the inaugural event, which has now grown to more than 400 students, faculty and staff.
Each year, volunteers go out into the New River and Roanoke Valleys to perform community service at various service sites and projects, including Feeding America, Women's Resource Center, The Linus Project, New River Community Action and more.
"The significance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Day of Service lies in the opportunity it provides for individuals to contribute to the overall well-being of their communities,” Shastry said. “The enduring need for social justice, unity and social responsibility remains evident after all these years. While it is easy to declare one's principles, there is no better way to demonstrate them than through action. It is our duty to be of service to others."