UC San Diego Faculty, Students and Staff Join Forces in Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service Jan.15

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Last year for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, volunteers from UC San Diego worked on a playground structure at the Sherman Heights Community Center.

More than 500 members of the University of California, San Diego community will honor Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy by participating in San Diego’s 32^nd annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade Jan.15.  Prior to the parade, members of the campus community will volunteer in restoring portions of the American Legion Hall in National City as part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service and UC San Diego’s Volunteer50 program.

Parade participants include Chancellor Marye Anne Fox, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Penny Rue, students, staff, faculty and alumni of the university. UC San Diego has been involved with the parade for the past 27 years, with the number of campus participants continually increasing each year.

“It is a proud and enduring tradition for the UC San Diego community to march in the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade,” said Fox. “Celebrating and achieving diversity are integral to our academic excellence and are high institutional priorities.”

The UC San Diego group will march behind a banner declaring the university’s parade theme, “Freedom through Education.”

“It has been wonderful to see the UC San Diego community come together in this campus tradition of honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” said Darlene Mercado, UC San Diego student advisor and campus events coordinator. “I am looking forward to participating this year and for many years to come.”

At 9 a.m., Sunday, Jan. 15, volunteers will restore, paint and revive the American Legion Hall #225 in National City, which is home to the San Diego chapter of the American Legion. The American Legion is a prominent nonprofit organization that has won hundreds of benefits for veterans and produced many important programs for children and youth.

The UC San Diego Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service project at the American Legion Hall #225 is part of Fox’s Volunteer50 initiative, which challenges campus and community members to volunteer a minimum of 50 hours during the academic year. A campus tradition, Volunteer50 was launched last year during the university’s 50^th Anniversary to demonstrate the UC San Diego community’s widespread and diverse contributions to service.        

Those interested in volunteering in the UC San Diego Volunteer50 Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service project are required to register and fill out a waiver; space is limited. To register and complete the waiver, go to http://mlkday.ucsd.edu.