PHILADELPHIA, PA, January 4, 2023– Organizers, sponsors, and community partners joined together in a ceremony at Girard– in-person and virtual–to announce plans for the upcoming 28th annual Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service on the January 16 federal holiday.
The Greater Philadelphia King Day of Service includes Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. The national King Day of Service was created in 1994 through federal legislation co-authored by Pennsylvania U.S. Senator Harris Wofford and Atlanta Congressman John Lewis, both veterans of the civil rights movement with Dr. King.
Girard College will serve as the region’s signature project site for the fourteenth consecutive year. “We are honored to once again partner with Global Citizen and serve as the signature site for the Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service,” said F. Christopher Goins, president of Girard College. “It’s important for our students to meet and work with others who share their passion for service and commitment to social justice. Dr. King’s legacy lives on at Girard every day, as our students learn that ‘intelligence plus character…is the goal of true education.’ We invite our neighbors to join us on MLK Day to learn more about our mission, our history, and our bright future as a catalyst for social impact.”
2023 marks the historic 60th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The King Day of Service’s overarching focus is on gun violence prevention. The signature project will include assembling gun violence prevention kits for distribution to the community on King Day and beyond. The kits will include gun locks, as well as information on important health and social services for prevention, immediate response, and coping with the effects of gun violence.
Additional kits will include materials to enable an immediate response to assist gunshot victims on-scene. The kits will, include: tourniquets, gauze, chest seals, and other items to treat critical wounds. The kits will be distributed to community partners. Recipients will also receive training.
The gun violence prevention initiative is spearheaded by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Temple University Hospital, Black Doctors Consortium, Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity, and others.
A Rally for Peace and Justice will be held from Noon-2 pm in the Elementary School auditorium, spearheaded by the Cecil B. Moore Philadelphia Freedom Fighters and the Black Clergy of Philadelphia, and Vicinity’s 57 Blocks Program.
COVID testing, vaccinations, and flu shots will also be offered to the community at Girard College. A Health & Wellness Fair inside the Armory will include health professionals providing information and guidance on other services, including behavioral health. Other projects taking place at Girard College will include:
• Global Citizen, in partnership with the Read by 4th Campaign, leading a virtual reading coach training, an initiative that protects every child’s right to read in Philadelphia by connecting community volunteers with a citywide movement for early literacy.
• Activities with volunteers and children reading stories aloud about Dr. King and the civil rights movement; making “I Have A Dream” mobiles; also watching Dr. King’s speeches on big screens.
• The City of Philadelphia Health Department will hold training for Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) volunteers. MRC members volunteer at vaccination and testing sites, city health emergencies, and other City of Philadelphia public events.
• Voter education and registration.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney presented the 25th annual Harris Wofford Active Citizenship Award to Scott Charles, Trauma Outreach Manager for Temple University Hospital, “for your tireless support of gun violence victims and their families and your ongoing support of the Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service.”
Previous award winners were Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt, Dr. Ala Stanford, the Urban Affairs Coalition, Ready, Willing and Able, Rev. David Brown, Mary Strasser, Eastern State Penitentiary, WURD Radio, Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, Loraine Ballard Morrill, Ken Salaam, Philadelphia Fire Department, Vanguard, YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School, Sacaree Rhodes, Al-Aqsa Islamic Academy, and Perelman Jewish Day School, Rev. Henry Wells, City Year Greater Philadelphia, Christine James Brown, the School District of Philadelphia, Mural Arts Philadelphia, National School and Community Corps, Woodlynde School and Jack Neary.
The news conference included the unveiling of a gun violence prevention-themed mural designed by students from five area schools. The annual project was led by Mural Arts Philadelphia (MAP). A MAP artist worked with students from each school to complete a 5’X6’ panel. The panels were then joined together to form a dramatic 5’X25’ mural. The participating schools included Al-Aqsa Islamic Academy, Barrack Hebrew Academy, Harrington Elementary School, Woodlynde School, and Girard College. The MAP artists were Priscilla Bell, Briana Dawkins, and Rosie Morales.
Philadelphia Orchestra President & CEO Matias Tarnopolsky announced plans for the 33rd annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute Concert, presented by PECO. The concert, led by Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, will take place in the Girard College Chapel on January 16, beginning at 3 pm (doors open at 2:30 pm). Tickets are available at www.philorch.org/mlk2023.
In partnership with the Urban League of Philadelphia, a focus on economic justice will include the 12th annual Jobs & Opportunity Fair, with job seekers attending a virtual session with workshops and connecting job seekers to some twenty-five employers with available employment opportunities in individualized sessions.
For more information and to register online– volunteer.globalcitizen365.org/jobsfair.
More than fifty King Day of Service sponsors are led by Independence Blue Cross and the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey. They are joined by FS Investments, Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, Highmark Wholecare, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Urban Affairs Coalition, Philadelphia Foundation, Wells Fargo, Giant Company, M&T Bank, Girard College, PECO, Dow, Target, Vanguard, AmeriHealth Caritas, Black Doctors Consortium, Moravia Health, GoPuff, Temple University, Temple University Hospital, Liberty Coca Cola, Drexel University, Hazzouri and Associates, School District of Philadelphia, Greenberg Traurig, Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, Delaware County Council, Urban League of Philadelphia, iHeart Media, Cozen O’Connor, Philabundance, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Ready Willing and Able, UGI Corporation, Hilco Redevelopment Partners, Al-Aqsa Islamic Society, Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO, High Point Café, WURD Radio, Spikes, City of Philadelphia, PennSERVE: The Governor’s Office of Citizen Service and Cecil B. Moore Philadelphia Freedom Fighters.
The 2023 King Day of Service is co-chaired by Mayor Jim Kenney; Gregory E. Deavens, President & CEO, Independence Blue Cross; Bill Golderer, President & CEO, United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey; Michael Forman, Chairman, and CEO, FS Investments; Chris Goins, President, Girard College; Rev. Dr. Alyn Waller, Senior Pastor, Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church; Dr. Tony Watlington, Superintendent, School District of Philadelphia; Adam Thiel, Commissioner, Philadelphia Fire Department; Pedro Ramos, President, and CEO, the Philadelphia Foundation; Patrick Eiding, President, Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO; Judge Ida Chen, Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas; Ed Hazzouri, Chairman, Hazzouri & Associates, David Brown, Professor, Temple University and Rev. Bonnie Camarda, President, Hispanic Clergy of Philadelphia.
Updated information on service opportunities is available on Facebook– facebook.com/ globalcitizen365 and Twitter– twitter.com/mlkdayofservice. The hashtag is #MLKDAY2023.
Global Citizen organizes the Greater Philadelphia King Day of Service and year-round civic engagement programs. Anyone interested in volunteering or hosting a service project should register at mlkdayofservice.org or call 215-259-8374.
Organizations interested in becoming sponsors of Global Citizen and the Greater Philadelphia King Day of Service should contact Todd Bernstein at todd@globalcitizen365.org or 215-266-0214.
