Giving Back on MLK Day, and Paying It Forward

Hopefully you all know that this past Monday was the observation of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday. But what you might not know? Since 1994, this day has been designated as a National Day of Service—the only federal holiday recognized in this way—to honor Dr. King’s legacy of leadership and service. The day became part of President Obama’s national call to serve initiative, called United We Serve, which was launched by the First Lady in 2009 and is now stewarded by the Corporation for National and Community Service.

So when MLK Day comes around, I think about ways that I can make a little difference on that day and throughout the year. This time, I took some of my CLM colleagues with me to our local Idaho Youth Ranch thrift store.

The Idaho Youth Ranch is a statewide nonprofit with a critical mission: to assist teens in trouble by providing emergency shelter, residential care, job training, alternative education, adoption services, family counseling, and more. Sales from the thrift stores that dot the Treasure Valley and beyond support this mission and help the organization serve hundreds of Idaho teens and families every year.

On Monday afternoon, we spent a few hours at the Orchard Street thrift store, sorting and displaying merchandise to get it ready to sell. It was a nice way to do a little good, get an inside look at their donation operations, and bond with colleagues. And it was all made possible by our parent company’s Ivie Cares program, which provides up to 24 hours of paid volunteering time to every full-time employee.

Thanks to Ivie for letting us take some time to pay it forward in our community. And thanks to my colleagues for taking time out of a busy Monday to give back. I’m looking forward to our next group volunteering opportunity in the spring, and to our continued service as we head on into 2017.

CLM | Jan 18, 2017