Please join members of First Parish and the greater Lexington community on Monday, January 16th for the fourth annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Day when more than 400 volunteers from throughout Lexington gather for a variety of services to Lexington and to our surrounding communities: making cards for hospital patients, veterans, and disabled adults; making goody bags for homeless children with senior residents of Waltham Crossing; serving lunch at senior villages in Lexington; joining in activities with homeless children and adults at the Waltham YMCA; making scarfs for those in need; helping deliver donations to such organizations as the Lexington Food Pantry. Many of these activities are family-friendly and lots of fun.

The Service Day also offers a wide variety of opportunities for sharing our resources with those in need: food for the Food Pantry; toys for Birthday Wishes; books, DVDS, CDs, video games, and other media for More Than Words; gently-worn (or new) kids clothing for Cradles to Crayons; gently-used clothes and shoes for all ages at the Waltham Y; and financial donations to any of these organizations and to Lexington Community MLK Day for expenses.

The day will begin at 9:00AM with a Panel Discussion and Community Dialogue on Race at Grace Chapel, sponsored by the Lexington Interfaith Clergy Association and the Lexington Human Rights Council. At 11:00, all participants who are able will meet at the statue on the Battle Green for the Unity Walk to Cary Hall. At 11:30 at Cary Hall, there will be an inspirational program of words and music by First Parish member Regie O’Hare Gibson and by the Special Needs Arts Program’s (SNAP) Sing Along Chorus. Service activities begin following the program.

Please see January’s Focalpoint for more detailed information, or go to Facebook: Lexington Community MLK Day. To volunteer: go to lexingtonmlk.org

For questions: go to lexingtoncommunity@gmail.com, or contact Helen Cohen at helencohen@rcn.com.