Registration is open for the United Way Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend of Service in honor of the late civil rights leader and the observance of the national Martin Luther King holiday.
The event taking place Jan. 19-21 brings together 44 organizations who work on various issues in the Portland community, including education, poverty, literacy, older adults, the environment, animals and homelessness. Together, up to 1,000 volunteers are expected to generate $76,235 in value from 3,500 hours of volunteer service.
This is the sixth year United Way of the Columbia-Willamette has hosted the MLK Weekend of Service event. The event is organized by Hands On Greater Portland, now a program of United Way. The event is also done with help from The Boeing Company, who is serving as the presenting sponsor of the event for the second year in a row.
“We are so proud to once again be heading up this massive volunteer project aimed at improving our community and honoring Martin Luther King Jr.,” said Keith Thomajan, the local United Way president and chief executive officer. “This is such a great opportunity to get out there and make a difference. Sign up your family or a group of co-workers; this is a chance to give back in a meaningful way.”
Projects are currently open for signup at unitedway-pdx.org/mlk. Individuals can sign up on their own, and friends, families and companies can also organize teams. People who sign up a four-person team are eligible to win an iPad Mini.
