MLK Day is the only federal holiday designated as a National Day of Service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities. It is a defining moment each year when Americans across the country step up to make communities more equitable and take action to create the Beloved Community of Dr. King’s dream. 

On Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, and the days surrounding, the TEMS PTO invites families to:

• engage with your community and create constructive action;
• act on Dr. King’s legacy of social justice and equity; and
• recommit by volunteering to serve others.

We’ve curated some local volunteer opportunities for you and your family to consider this MLK weekend. Please plan to confirm the dates, times and all relevant details, including the need to pre-register, before participating in any of the below listed events as specifics may have changed and some events require pre-registration. 

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service Opportunities across the Main Line and Philly area:

• 1/18/25 from 10 am to 3 pm at Trinity Presbyterian Church of Berwyn: MLK Day activities include helping to fix items at the Easttown Repair Cafe (10-12 pm), working to collect and organize donations in the Trinity food pantry, or assembling hygiene kits (12-2 pm). Details can be found here: https://www.trinityberwyn.com/upcoming-events/mlk-day-of-service
• 1/19/25 from 11 am to 1 pm at Mother Bethel AME Church in Philadelphia: join the church community to make toiletry care packages and write encouraging notes to accompany them following the morning worship service. See this website for further details and contact info: https://volunteer.globalcitizen365.org/opportunity/a0CVV000035cSqF2AU/toiletry-care-package-for-neighbors
• 1/20/25 from 8:30 am to 11:30 am at the Upper Merion Township Building (Freedom Hall): the Upper Merion MLK Community Day of Service includes family community service activities as well as a volunteer fair for teens and adults and information on the legacy of Dr. MLK Jr. See event details here: https://umtlibrary.libcal.com/event/13786571
• 1/20/25 from 10 am to 5 pm at the National Constitution Center: admission to the museum on MLK Day is free with various special activities available including a Family concert, a school supply drive, arts and crafts tables, speeches, presentations and more. Full details can be found here: https://constitutioncenter.org/calendar/martin-luther-king-jr-day-2025 
• 1/20/25 from 10:15-11:30 am or 2-3:30 pm at the Media-Upper Providence Free Library: all ages are welcome to stop in to make kindness cards or rocks to take home and distribute or leave for the library to disburse. Details can be found here: https://mainlineparent.com/event/drop-in-kindness-cards-or-rocks-for-mlk-day-of-service/2025-01-20/1/
• Cradles to Crayons MLK Day Weekend of Service: service opportunities include donation drives, card-making for the organization's backpack campaign, and more with further details available here: https://www.cradlestocrayons.org/philadelphia/mlk/
• Various Delaware County, PA MLK Jr. Day activities can be found here: https://delcofoundation.org/mlkday2025/

Looking for something different? Visit Global Citizen 365 for additional opportunities in the greater Philadelphia area or visit this webpage for MLK Day activity suggestions for kids: https://www.twinkl.ie/blog/martin-luther-king-day-activities-usa

Thanks to the TEMS PTO Cultural Arts Committee, on January 24th, all 5th and 6th grade students will have the incredible opportunity to meet the renowned author Padma Venkatraman at TEMS, where she will introduce her latest book, Safe Harbor.

About Safe Harbor: 

An uplifting novel in verse about an immigrant girl adjusting to life in the US through her love of nature, music, and poetry, by the award-winning author of The Bridge Home, Padma Venkatraman.

The Book Swap was a huge success!!

A big thank you to all the families who donated books for the event—your generosity made it possible. We’re also incredibly grateful to our local libraries for their contributions. And, of course, a special shoutout to our amazing parent volunteers who helped run the event—your support was invaluable!