CACC Programs » Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service Grants

Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service Grants

Best Buy/Learn and Serve America Funds

Reading MLK book California Campus Compact (CACC) has been awarded a Corporation for National and Community Service Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service grant from Best Buy and Learn and Serve America. The purpose of this grant funding is to engage higher education students to facilitate service-learning activities with K-12 students, particularly those in disadvantaged situations. These service-learning activities will incorporate an event on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, and otherwise emphasize the King Holiday. Projects meet the needs of youth in disadvantaged situations and focus on youth, technology, and learning. Higher education and K-12 students will be involved in the service. Grantees will outreach to local Best Buy representatives in order to involve employees in project activities, events, or public relations.

CACC is pleased to award three $5000 grants to the following member institutions: California College of the Arts, Glendale Community College, and the University of California, Los Angeles. The abstracts below describe the projects they will engage in between December 1, 2005 and April 30, 2006.

California College of the Arts (CCA)

Today more than ever, we are challenged to change our society from one of fear and violence to the beloved society that Dr. King envisioned. In 2006 California College of the Arts will join with Attitudinal Healing Connection, Inc., and its award winning children and youth program, ArtEsteem(sm), Wisdom University, AmeriCorps, and Taylor Memorial Methodist Church to facilitate a day of service and a performance celebration in West Oakland in honor of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday. The theme for the celebration is "Make The Dream Real" and on this day we will encourage local citizens of all ages and experience to commit to a day of service to honor the vision of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

As part of this day we will identify four community members representing different segments of West Oakland who will be recognized with the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Award for their exemplary service to the West Oakland community. Our program will include a key note address by Rabbi Michael Lerner. He will be joined on the program by Dr. Matthew Fox, Kokomon Clottey, Ahank Nunik Nunkai, Jim Garrison and Fania Davis. We will also connect with youth performance organizations in Oakland, and to highlight their talent, we will invite them to perform during the award program. The program will take place from 10 AM until 12 noon at Taylor Memorial Methodist Church located at 12th and Adeline in Oakland with a reception immediately following. At the end of the reception we will announce places, organizations, and people in West Oakland that will benefit greatly from the assistance of the community. The audience for the day’s event will have the opportunity to make real the principles of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by participating in the art of service. Extending the day of service, the period between January 30th and April 4, 2006 will be a “Season for Non-Violence” during which K-12 and college students, as well as community members will develop and implement activities providing opportunities for continuous service to the community.

Glendale Community College

Glendale Community College will partner with Kidspace Museum in Pasadena, California to deliver a variety of activities to celebrate and honor the legacy and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for children in the local K-12 school districts including, Glendale, Pasadena, and Los Angeles Unified school districts.

Kidspace Children's Museum officially launched at the California Institute of Technology in 1979. A community project of the Junior League of Pasadena, Kidspace has addressed a critical educational need in the San Gabriel Valley and surrounding areas: increased access to the arts, humanities and sciences for children.

The day’s events will include:

Screenings of the MLK animated feature “My Friend Martin” followed by a discussion of the changes brought about as a result of Dr. King’s efforts;
A non-violence workshop offered twice during the day that explores ways for youth to deal with difficult situations without violence;
A speaker, Ms. Jo Bradley, who was a college student and activist in Alabama during the civil rights movement; and
A visual art project created by the children who attend these activities that will focus on how things may be different if Dr. King had not changed the course of history.

In addition, each parent will be provided with a colorful brochure that will have valuable information about how they can continue the lessons Dr. King championed, such as non-violence, tolerance, equality, and justice.

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

The UCLA Center for Community Learning will work with the Office of Residential Life, the Academic Advancement Program (AAP), the Bunche Center for African American Studies and selected LAUSD students (elementary, middle and high school) to hold a series of events and programming. During the last week of the January, there will be a Martin Luther King Oratorical Contest with UCLA undergraduates and high school students participating in two performances (one on campus and one in the community). UCLA tutors working with students in public housing developments in South LA will have a MLK theme for all activities and programming in the month of February. Students in a winter quarter service learning course on tolerance will provide workshops with information on the work on Martin Luther King in local public schools in March. UCLA students and K-12 students will participate together in one joint day of service in April.