National Days of Service

National Days of Service are a series of nationally-recognized and celebrated one-day service events that bring people together in their local communities, schools and neighborhoods to highlight particular needs, find new solutions, and renew our sense of commitment to community service. HandsOn began assisting with Days of Service opportunities starting with Martin Luther King Day in January 2010.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service

In 2010, HandsOn Northwest North Carolina, in partnership with Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem State University and Salem College, planned our first-ever Read-In event to promote Dr. King’s messages of service and literacy in conjunction and co-located with one of the largest commemorative events held in our city every year: the 30th Annual Noon Hour Commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday. The 2010 MLK Day of Service Read-In was a “day on, not a day off” for more than 300 community members in Winston-Salem. The collaboration was the first of its kind in Winston-Salem and allowed parents to attend the Noon Hour Commemoration while their children attended the Read-In event. The children learned about Dr. King, performed service such as writing letters to troops, and they also received new and used donated books. Approximately 500 books were distributed to the 100 children who participated in the event. Since then, the event has been held on the Wake Forest University campus and has grown each year.  If you would like to partner with us for the upcoming MLK Day of Service, please contact our Executive Director.

September 11th Day of Service and Remembrance

Also in 2010, as part of our first 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance, HandsOn NWNC organized a community-wide donation drive for the troops serving in Iraq and Afganistan. Since then, we’ve developed projects with a variety of our partners around the community. The projects have involved hundred of volunteers through the years, and usually span the week that is inclusive of September 11th. If you’re interested in hosting a project or volunteering for the 9/11 Day of Service, please contact our Executive Director.