Dr. Kimberly S. Adams

“My generation owes much of our freedoms, our successes, and our societal advancements to Dr. King, and countless others in the Movement, for their continuous fight and unyielding commitment to social justice and equality for all. To celebrate a national day of service on Dr. King’s birthday is highly appropriate and a fitting tribute to a man who, through his service, changed America for the better. This national day of service affords the youth of today, and Americans in general, an opportunity to give back through service to others what has been so richly given to us.”

Michael Brown
CEO, City Year

"I am honored to serve as a Corporation for National and Community Service 2010 MLK Day Ambassador.  At City Year, MLK Day has always been a 'day on', and not a day off: We honor the spirit and legacy of Dr. King through events across the country that unite young people in service with City Year, staff, service partners, champions and community members on the common ground of service.  This year at ceremonies nationwide, 2,000 middle school and high school students will pledge more than 160,000 hours of service, and will act on that commitment immediately by joining in the City Year service events.  This day of painting, planting and renovating is a powerful expression of Dr. King's belief that 'everyone can be great because everyone can serve.'  MLK Day also offers a highly visible indication of the power of national service and the City Year corps members who come together from all backgrounds and honor Dr. King's legacy throughout the year as tutors, mentors and role models dedicated to keeping students in school and on track."

Byron Cage
Award-Winning Gospel Artist

“As we celebrate the 81st Birthday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., let's give the greatest gift possible: our talent and service to continue in the legacy of non violence, hope and change. Do something special for someone today. Service goes a long way.”

Neil Diamond

“I am honored to serve as a 2010 MLK Service Ambassador, and encourage Americans everywhere to volunteer and help out in their local communities today, of all days, Martin Luther King Day, but also throughout the year. People helping people, one neighborhood at a time – that is how we can change the world.”

Chris Draft

“As professional football players, we have a great opportunity to make a larger difference in the lives of young people. Having the opportunity to make a positive impact is a privilege and responsibility that I am passionate about.“

Isaac Newton Farris

“My uncle, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., once said that “Life’s most persistent and nagging question is ‘What are you doing for others?,’ and his wife, The King Center ’s Founder, Coretta Scott King said that “the greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate acts of its citizens.” The King Center wholeheartedly embraces this challenge and promotes community service as a central commitment of our organizational mission. Thus, we strongly advocate community service, not only as the best way to honor Dr. King and commemorate the King Holiday, but also as a 24-7, year-round way of life.”

Wayne Firestone
President, Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life

“Rabbi Hillel once said, ‘If I am only for myself, who am I?’ Martin Luther King inspires our country with a similar call to national service as well as an entire generation of students who have something to contribute not only in the classroom but also out in the community.”

Dr. Robert Franklin

“Morehouse College is Dr. King’s alma mater. He walked the grounds of our campus, learned in our classrooms, was inspired in our chapel and then went out to impact the world for good. The students, staff and faculty of Morehouse believe that it is our moral obligation to continue the traditions that have produced so many great citizens and leaders in the past.”

“Dr. King said that ‘This hour in history needs a dedicated circle of transformed nonconformists.’ We believe that everyone has a role to play in repairing a broken social contract and a fragmented world. And, we are inspired by the quote of Rabbi Hillel, ‘The world is equally balanced between good and evil. Your next act will tip the scale.’ Let’s use this Day of Service to “tip the scale”.

Seth Goldman

“Over the past ten years my wife and three boys have developed our own family ritual for Martin Luther King’s birthday. We wake up and drive to a service project that we all can participate in – usually with City Year, Washington, DC. On the drive to and from the work site, we listen to recordings of Dr. King’s speeches (my favorites are “If I had Sneezed”, “the Drum Major Instinct” and of course, “I have a Dream”). By the time we get home, we’re dirty, tired, and often covered with paint, but heartened that the day’s efforts are one way for us to honor Dr. King’s legacy with the work of our heads, hands and hearts.”

Carla Hall
President, Alchemy Catering; Bravo “Top Chef” finalist

“Volunteering is a great way to spend time with your neighbors, support your community and use your positive energy to give back - all while spreading the love. Many people shy away from community service because they do not know how to get started. So start your service journey by visiting www.Serve.gov/MLKDay where you can find local volunteer opportunities. Everybody can serve and every little bit counts; make this MLK a day of action - make it a day for volunteering.”

Hill Harper

"Martin Luther King, Jr. was a man of service. He once stated that 'all labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence'. What better way to honor him than to volunteer our time and talent on this great day of service."

Harry E. Johnson, Sr.

When ask why and who should serve in memory of Dr. King, the answer is quite simple: "Any one who ever benefited from anything Dr. King said or did....that includes ALL of us."

Ruth Messinger

“Martin Luther King exemplified the conviction that it was necessary to do, not just to speak. He urged us all to work to make the changes that needed to be made in our communities, in our country and in the world. He spoke always to the importance of meeting people's immediate needs and, as well, of standing up for justice, fighting evil, putting ourselves on the line to create the world we want.”

Edward Norton
Actor

“I've had as much fun volunteering and working on community projects as any movie I've ever worked on. And I've met a lot of the most interesting and inspiring people that I know through that kind of participation...many of my personal heroes, in fact. It shakes me out of myself and reinvigorates my optimism about America every time.”

Usher Raymond IV
Chairman and Founder of The New Look Foundation

"Dr. Martin Luther King taught us that everyone, no matter who they are, has the power and ability to change their community through service. As we remember Dr. King this January, I encourage everyone, especially young people to become leaders in their community. There are many unique service opportunities happening around the country sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service and others or, you can get out there and create your own projects. Everyone has what it takes to follow Dr. King’s example and lead a life that is Powered By Service!"

Marc Roberge
O.A.R.

“When I see images or hear audio of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speaking I see someone who wanted change not merely to satisfy a short term goal, but change that his grandchildren would feel the affects of generations down the line. I want my child to grow up in a world where volunteering and serving our community is an ingrained part of our culture. In honor of Dr. King please join me on this Day of Service by volunteering your time and abilities wherever they are needed.”

Tracee Ellis Ross
Actress

“Dr. King is a shining example of the mountains that can be moved, the shifts that can occur when one person is of service. I am excited and encouraged by the attention that the Obama administration is placing on being of service.

We are all in this exchange of "life" together. None of us do this alone. We need each other and we can heal each other.

We each have an opportunity to show up and be of service in whatever capacity speaks to us. Each of us is enough to make a difference. Each of us has something to share. For me it is sitting with, listening to, witnessing, comforting, encouraging and laughing with teenage girls. There are really no words for me to express the priceless gift of spending time, the joy of connecting and listening.

I know our lives are so full and it seems like there is no time but the crazy thing is that being of service, sharing and taking part in something for others seems to create space and a fullness in the experience of your day.

I have been taught to give from the over flow and I believe that we all have an abundance that we can share …maybe it is financially, maybe it is our time, or a skill or maybe it is hugs, kindness, support or an open heart.”

Rabbi David Saperstein

"Half a century after his actions and eloquence took hold of the hearts and minds of our nation, the legacy of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. continues to instruct, inform and inspire us all. Even as America makes significant strides toward justice, we know how much further we must travel to become the nation of which he dreamed. On this day, as we celebrate Dr. King’s life and work, we recommit ourselves to carrying on his vision and doing our part to repair the world and engage in the sacred work of tikkun olam."

Emmitt Smith

“I think the best way for us to honor Dr. Martin Luther King is to serve our communities and our country in the best way that we possibly can. He was a man that devoted his entire life to equality and social justice and opportunities for all and with that said, he has given the ultimate price which was his life, for people life myself and many others who have enjoyed the luxuries of freedom and the abilities to go out and have the opportunities that we have. Whether it is myself through sports or whether it is the social justice that we have right now or the equality that men and women enjoy right now as we live our present life state."

Pat Smith

"I have received so many blessings in my life and feel it is my duty and obligation to give back to those in need. As the first African American woman to win the title of Miss Virginia USA, I’ve experienced first-hand the impact Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has had on advancing equality, social justice and opportunity for all Americans. Were it not for Dr. King paving the way and for caring mentors who took the time to encourage and motivate me on my journey, I could not have achieved my dream of becoming Miss Virginia USA.

Today, I am humbled to serve as a role model and mentor for high school students in Dallas Elevators, a program designed to combat the shocking statistic that 50% of students in our inner cities do not even graduate from high school. Even with great programs like these, 15 million children are in need of mentors. Forty years after Dr. King’s untimely death, there is still work to do to realize his dream.

I will honor Dr. King’s legacy and answer President Obama’s call to service on January 18, 2010. I hope you will join me by becoming a mentor for a child or by participating in the many community improvement projects going on around the country for the 2010 Martin Luther King Day of Service."

Bob Weir
Guitarist, Singer; founding member of the bands Grateful Dead, RatDog, and Further; Social Activist

"One can easily boil MLK’s basic message down to this: If enough people individually decide that they want a society where everyone benefits by everyone else’s actions, then it will happen. I share this dream. Dr King said: "Mine eyes have seen the Glory". And if you care to look, you can, too."

The Honorable Harris Wofford
Former U.S. Senator and CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service under President Bill Clinton

“The logic for making the holiday for Martin Luther King a day of service "a day on, not a day off," is simple and clear. What would Martin have wanted it to be? Anyone who knew him or marched with him or read or heard his words knows that he would not have wanted it to be a day for rest, recreation, shopping, or just doing nothing. He might have felt honored if he knew his words were read, recited and remembered, because he believed that in the beginning is the Word and some of the greatest words in American history were his. But above all, he dedicated his life to the proposition that the word must be made flesh. He would have wanted his day to be a day not of apathy but of action.”

Francene Young
U.S. Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion, Shell Oil Company

“We are proud to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King by participating in educational, diversity, health and environmental programs that touch the lives of so many in our community. Our long-term support of the MLK Day of Service is part of our commitment to strengthen the communities we operate in by maintaining strong social responsibility programs.”