Philadelphia hosts oldest, largest MLK Day of Service event
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The 28th Annual Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service at Girard College kicked off Monday at 9 a.m. The event is the oldest and largest in the country.
In its 28th year, the event takes place mostly in person at the college after a surge of COVID-19 in 2022 prompted many activities to be held online.
The event at the college is nothing new to the organizers. They have been doing this for decades.
"We Celebrate Dr. King's life one day of the year but that should be a springboard for people to be involved in their communities to engage in the community-building process and identify some of the most pressing challenges and turning those concerns into actions," Todd Bernstein is the founder and organizer of the event at Girard College.
Bernstein started this day of events in 1996. What started with about 1,000 volunteers in Philadelphia grew to millions across the country.
Organizers say it works to break down barriers, form partnerships and continue the legacy of Dr. King, particularly among young people.
One of the ways they get children involved, even before the event, is through art. The gymnasium at which Monday's event is being held shows artwork done by students.
This year's activities include a bunch of things, such as gun safety kit assembly, including gun locks and resources for coping with the effects of gun violence.
Events also include free COVID-19 testing led by the Black Doctors COVID Consortium, free flu shots led by the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, CPR and fire prevention training, distribution of personal protective equipment, voter education and registration, activities with children like reading stories and so much more.
If you are not able to make it in person, there are also some virtual events such as a job fair for anyone looking for other opportunities.
This year's theme is Gun Violence Prevention. Founder and organizer of the event, Todd Bernstein, says the theme is a way of looking back at King while also putting a local emphasis on it.
"It should not be lost on us that 55 years ago, Dr. King was the victim of gun violence in 1968," Bernstein said. "55 years later, we had more than 500 victims of homicide last year in Philadelphia alone, most of those through gun violence. It's not just a law enforcement problem or a government problem, it's something that really affects all of us and we have to see it as our responsibility to respond. We're partnering with Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Temple University Hospital to create gun violence and gun safety protection kits that are going to be distributed in the community that gives people a chance between being shot on the scene and making it alive to the hospital, and that's one of the big problems of how people die."
Bernstein says that everyone who wants to get involved can visit mlkdayofservice.org.
For more events in and around Philadelphia, read this list.