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 local communities, schools and neighborhoods to highlight particular needs, find new solutions, and renew our 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. Since then, the event has rotated between the WFU and WSSU campuses (being held virtually in 2021 and 2022.) The day matches K through 5th-grade students with a Reading Buddy who will lead them through various educational activities related to Dr. King’s legacy of service, education, and self-sufficiency.  At the event, each child will receive one age-appropriate book and one new civil rights-themed book.

The next MLK Day of Service will be on Saturday, January 23, 2027, from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. in the Benton Convention Center at Wake Forest University.  Keep checking this page or our newsletter for further updates about the event.

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 Afghanistan. Since then, we’ve developed projects with a variety of our partners around the community. The projects have involved hundreds of volunteers and usually span the week that includes September 11th.

This year, HandsOn NWNC will assemble disaster preparedness kits for neighbors in need as a way to honor the victims, survivors, and heroes of 9/11 through service on Friday, September 11, from 11:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m. and 4:00–5:30 p.m at the Intergenerational Center for Arts and Wellness, 114 W. 30th Street, Winston-Salem, NC  27105.  If you’re interested in hosting a project or volunteering for the 9/11 Day of Service, please contact Ryan Lenney, our AmeriCorps Vista.