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January 2024

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Dr. King said it so well—we all can serve. The Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Day of Service is a wonderful way to kick off the new year and celebrate his life and teachings through service to our community. There are many ways to participate in MLK Day in Montgomery County. Read on for details. We hope to see you!

—From the Volunteer Center Staff

Make Monday, January 15, a "day on," not a "day off." Join one of the many MLK Day of Service activities taking place across Montgomery County, including:

⭐ Marriott Conference Center (N. Bethesda)—12:30-2:30 p.m.

⭐ Strathmore Music Center (N. Bethesda)—4 p.m.

⭐ Other activities—various locations and times (see below).

Additional opportunities at the Marriott event: We invite adults and high school students to sign up as event staff instead of working on projects. Students can get SSL hours based on the actual time involved. Those interested in these volunteer opportunities must sign up in advance and commit to the full-time listed. Click the links for info and to apply: Project Support Monitor, General Event Staff, Event Set Up Staff, or Event Clean Up Staff.

⭐ Strathmore Music Center



Continue celebrating Dr. King's legacy at the Strathmore on Monday afternoon. Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Committee are hosting “We are Martin," a tribute honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and heroes of the civil rights movement. Through music, dance and the spoken word, the program will help participants relive some of the most significant events of the civil rights movement as well as focus on members of our community who share these elements of character and leadership.

Place: The Strathmore Music Center, Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda.

Time: 4 p.m.

For free tickets (required) and more information, visit the Strathmore event website.

⭐ Other MLK Activities in the County



Visit the Montgomery Serves website for other MLK activities around the County. Advance registration is usually required, so check them out and sign up now. SSL hours are available for many of these opportunities.

Help a kid be a kid. YMCA Youth & Family Services sponsors the Youth Links mentoring program and is looking for adult volunteers to be positive role models for boys and girls aged 5-15. Many of the children mentees live in foster or other out-of-home care and may be monitored by Child Welfare because of neglect, abuse or other problems at home. Mentors help them feel cared about and provide consistent friendship, encouragement and learning opportunities.

The program is county-wide and is conducted in collaboration with Montgomery County Welfare, the Circuit Court, Montgomery County Public Schools and the Department of Juvenile Services.

Volunteers meet with their mentees about 4-8 hours a month and plan activities that the mentee enjoys. (Mentors have a great time, too.) The program also provides training, workshops and social activities. To apply, visit the Youth Links page on the Volunteer Center website or email program director Otto Perez at ottoniel.perez@ymcadc.org. There is an extra need for male mentors at this time (matches are gender-based.)

Middle and high school students: YouthLinks also offers opportunities to earn SSL hours by helping at social events. To learn more, contact Otto Perez.

Pictured are Host Sandy Smith, and Robin Wiley, the president of The Holiday Project

Holidays can be very special times of the year. But for those residing in institutions such as nursing homes and hospitals, they often become lonely days with few visitors, cards and gifts, and all too many memories of happier times.

With the Holiday Project, YOU are the gift. Robin Wiley, the president of The Holiday Project of the National Capital Area, was interviewed by Make A Difference Host Sandy Smith in December. The DC group is part of a national organization that organizes holiday visits to people in institutions in Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia and Delaware. The volunteer visitors bring the special gift of joyful moments and get an even more special one in return, just by spending time with the people they visit.

Click here to view the interview. For more information about The Holiday Project, click here or email holidayprojectdc@hotmail.com.



Make a Difference is Montgomery County's cable TV show that shares how local volunteers help make a difference every day. If you know a special volunteer whose story might be featured, email cassandra.smith@montgomerycountymd.gov.

New opportunities are posted often on the Volunteer Center website—Montgomery Serves—and there are many ways to search. You can try different combinations of filters to find the best volunteer fit for you. And share exciting links and opportunities with others.

Here is a set of quick links for more information:

Search for Volunteer Opportunities

Student Service Learning - SSL

50+ Volunteer Network

Volunteer Opportunities for Groups

Search by Organization

Court - Ordered Service

Days of Service (including MLK Day and much more)