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Thanks to All Who Joined Us on Monday, January 16th for a Spirited Day of Service and Celebration Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

  • Martin Luther King Day of Service
    MLK Day of Service is a fabulous family volunteer activity
  • father and sons
    It’s a wonderful activity for fathers and sons…

We were thrilled to invite community members of all ages and abilities to the Community House in Winnetka on Monday, January 16th for our first in-person Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service in 3 years! This year we offered crafts and projects to benefit 10+ local nonprofits — including our always popular no-sew fleece blankets for the homeless, and other hands-on creations for veterans, hospitalized youth, senior citizens and orphaned animals.

We were proud to support our Premiere Partner New Trier Township, who collected
personal care toiletry items (shampoo, conditioner, mouthwash, toothbrush and toothpaste, etc.),
cleaning supplies (disinfectant spray cleaners, wood polish, bathroom cleaners, etc.)
and storage items (plastic bags, foil, plastic wrap, etc.) for the Food Pantry.

We also collected bags full of hats, gloves and long underwear to donate to the people of Ukraine.

The Volunteer Center and Winnetka Community House co-sponsored this year’s event along with corporate sponsors Sherry Molitor of Coldwell Banker Realty and Joe McQuillen of Chicago Financial Services. We are grateful to everyone who helped us celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Mark your calendar now for next year’s MLK Day of Service, Monday, January 15, 2024!

  • Sherry Molitor
  • The McQuillen Lending Team logo
  • Winnetka Community House

Questions?  Email the Volunteer Center at info@volunteercenterhelps.org

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Kids Against Hunger is POSTPONED!

Due to the public health threat of the coronavirus, the Kids Against Hunger food packing event scheduled for Saturday March 14 at the Community House is postponed to a future date to be determined. We will not be packing food this Saturday.

Public health officials are encouraging citizens, particularly those 60 years and older, to avoid public gatherings. We want to be a part of the efforts to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, so postponing Saturday’s event is the right thing to do.

We hope to reschedule the event to a date after the coronavirus threat is gone. Watch this website for updates.

As we have already funded the bulk food and packing materials for this event, if you have already signed up, we hope you can wait until we identify a new date before requesting a refund of your participation fees. Of course, if you do request a refund now, we will honor it as soon as we can. Refund requests and other questions should be directed to info@wnrotary.org.

Thank you for your support of this project and for partnering with the Volunteer Center to feed starving children.

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THE LEGACY OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING LIVES ON, IN SPITE OF THE PANDEMIC

Our annual Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration looked a little different this year, but the Volunteer Center still found ways to honor his enduring legacy of social justice and service by sponsoring 2 Covid-safe community initiatives. First, we were proud to partner with HEROS (Healing Everyday Racism in the Schools) to engage the community in a thought-provoking MLK LEGACY Workshop that focused on Dr. King’s 1965 speech in Winnetka and the concrete steps we can take locally to create Dr. King’s “Beloved Community”. Then, in keeping with our tradition of engaging in service on MLK Day, the VC also invited volunteers from the community to participate in our signature DIY no-sew fleece blanket donation program for homeless shelters and refugees. Instead of working side by side, families made 50+ blankets remotely during MLK “Week” that were distributed to local nonprofits. Continue Reading for more details about these 2 meaningful community events.

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More Ways for All Ages to Learn and Serve on MLK DAY

Additional Opportunities to Learn and Serve on MLK Day Although we will not be hosting our MLK Day of Service in person this year, we would like to provide volunteers meaningful ways to honor the extraordinary legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We have some suggestions for individuals or families to engage in productive…
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Recycle Your Goods for Good at This Year’s Make A Difference Day on Saturday, October 23rd

Don’t miss this chance to “Recycle Your Goods for Good.” Our annual Make A Difference Day is coming up on Saturday, October 23rd from 9-noon! We’re moving back to our location since 2003 — the Indian Hill Train station in Winnetka — where 15 nonprofits will be collecting everything from adult sneakers to winter coats, school supplies to sporting goods, textbooks to toiletries — and the always popular pet supplies! See complete details on the link below for this annual drop-off donation event, so start collecting and encouraging your groups to gather goods for good now!

Volunteers of All Ages Honor Dr. Martin Luther King With Remote Service Projects
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Volunteers of All Ages Honor Dr. Martin Luther King With Remote Service Projects

2022 MLK DAY OF SERVICE : Due to the recent rise in COVID cases, The Volunteer Center (VC) offered this year’s MLK Day of Service volunteers remote project kits to finish at home and bring back to the VC for delivery to local nonprofits. The volunteer community responded with overwhelming generosity, and made 164 blankets and hundreds of other meaningful goods for the struggling clients of many supportive organizations. Continue reading to see pictures of some of our loyal volunteers and their finished products. And if you’re looking for activities to do at home with your friends or family during this wintry, indoor season, you’ll also find some great ideas — with complete instructions — that you can do anytime.