Giving Back: Kids, Wings Leaders Deliver on National Day of Service

In celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr., WINGS kids and leaders participated in a day of service on MLK Day. More than 1,000 students and 75 college-aged mentors in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina provided goods and services for their communities. From making cards and gift baskets for school custodians to cat toys for a local animal shelter to hygiene kits for homeless families, WINGS kids put their empathy in action, stepping into the shoes of those who could benefit from appreciation and/or support. 

In 1994, Congress designated the Martin Luther King, Jr. federal holiday as a national day of service and charged the Corporation for National and Community Service with leading this effort. Taking place each year on the third Monday in January, the MLK Day of Service is the only federal holiday observed as a national day of service – a "day on, not a day off." 

• Atlanta | Our 5 sites in Atlanta partnered with Hope Atlanta to provide hygiene kits for more than 200 homeless individuals. Kids and staff collected items, packaged kits, and made cards with inspiring messages of hope.
• Columbia | Our site in Columbia, SC made thank you cards and gift baskets for their school custodians, created catnip socks for kitties at Pawmetto Lifeline, and prepared hygiene kits for Columbia's homeless shelter Transitions Homeless Shelter.
• Charlotte | Our two sites in Charlotte, NC created handmade affirmation cards and collected donated items they then organized and boxed for families in need.
• Charleston | Our two Charleston sites partnered with the City of Charleston and Keep Charleston Beautiful to participate in a sweep of downtown, collecting trash and debris, helping to keep the city clean.