MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Murfreesboro’s Patterson Park Community Center was awarded a Day of Service grant of $50,000 from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency for volunteering and service, to implement Project Dream in support of MLK Jr. Day of Service. This award will support MLK Jr. Day service activities in 2021, enabling more local residents to unite in volunteer service.

“The goal of Project Dream is to increase and strengthen the impact the City of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County residents have on addressing poverty and racism by engaging thousands of community volunteers in a variety of MLK Jr. Day of Service projects and activities as inspired by the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.,” said Gernell Jenkins, Superintendent of Patterson Park Community Center. “The CNCS investment of $50,000 will be matched with $117,000 in City committed funds and in-kind services and resources to support the goals and objectives of Project Dream activities.”

From July 2020 to January 2021, the Patterson Park Community Center will take the lead, along with volunteers and community organizations, to plan and implement MLK Jr. Day of Service activities and events designed to encourage all residents in the City of Murfreesboro and surrounding Rutherford County, Tennessee communities to engage in volunteer opportunities, discussions, community beautification projects, emergency crisis preparedness, food bank assistance and self-empowerment workshops. 

Project Dream will promote the MLK holiday on January 18, 2021, as a "Day On” and not a “Day Off” and encourage the community to get involved. There will be a focus on coordinating and enhancing existing activities, creating community beautification projects, and expanding volunteer engagement by joining forces with the United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties to increase promotion of volunteer opportunities and build nonprofit volunteer capacity to sustain acts of volunteerism for positive community change.

“Information on activities and events will posted in the Parks and Recreation Rec Connection and promoted through City media resources,” said Jenkins. Volunteer opportunities will be posted on Volunteer Connect through United Way at https://www.yourlocaluw.org/volunteer-united-way.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service inspires hundreds of thousands of Americans to come together to serve their community. This day of service helps to empower individuals, strengthen communities, bridge barriers, address social problems, and move us closer to Dr. King's vision of a more beloved community.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service is supported by the CNCS, which engages millions of Americans of all ages and backgrounds in service each year through its Senior Corps and AmeriCorps programs and leads volunteer and civic engagement initiatives for the nation. For more information, visit nationalservice.gov.