Martin Luther King Jr. Read for Peace National Day of Service

Montana Tech, Montana Campus Compact AmeriCorps, and the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) will participate in Martin Luther King Jr. Read for Peace National Day of Service. Volunteers will celebrate the day in Anaconda on Friday, January 14, 2022 and in Butte on Monday, January 17, 2022.

MLK Read for Peace is a service project that places volunteers in kindergarten through sixth-grade classrooms to read students age appropriate books about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. MLK Read for Peace will be held around the state in the weeks of and leading up to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in January. The impact of Dr. King's work and life on American history is not often a required part of the elementary curriculum. Although students enjoy a long weekend observing MLK Day every January, they may not understand the significance of this day. MLK Read for Peace provides students a chance to learn about and engage in Dr. King's message of peace and equality and provides both service members and community volunteers an opportunity to promote his legacy.

On Friday, January 14, 2022, Anaconda Upward Bound students will be reading to elementary school children at Lincoln Elementary in Anaconda beginning at 8:30 am.

On Monday, January 17, volunteers from Butte will be reading at the following schools: Emerson Elementary, Kennedy Elementary, Margaret Leary Elementary, West Elementary, and Whittier Elementary Schools. Butte-Silver Bow Chief Executive JP Gallagher read to 1st-grade students at West Elementary in Ms. Patty O'Neill's class at 1:00 pm. In Butte alone, approximately 610 students will be involved in activities.

"I am excited to share the Read for Peace literature we have with students and engage them in meaningful conversations about standing up for what was right, even when it's difficult. Rev. Dr. King's method of harnessing inner peace and solidarity with others to find hope in resisting oppression is just as profound today as it was sixty-five years ago. I hope that students depart from this experience feeling empowered to stand up against all that is unjust," noted Noah Aukerman, Montana Campus Compact (MTCC) AmeriCorps member.

If you have questions about the project in Butte, please contact Ethan Krenzer, Noah Aukerman, or Sabre Campbell, MTCC AmeriCorps members at krenzer@mtcompact.org, aukerman@mtecompact.org, or scampbell@mtcompact.org.