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Martin Luther King Jr Day Community Service Patch Program

This patch program is for all program grade levels (Daisies, Brownies, Juniors, Cadettes, Seniors, Ambassadors).

The third Monday of January is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This day is to celebrate the life, legacy, and public service of Martin Luther King Jr. Troops and Girl Scouts across our council are encouraged to celebrate and participate in the MLK Day of Service Fun Patch. There are two steps to earn your patch:

  1. Discover more about Martin Luther King Jr.
  2. Connect to your community through a community service activity

Want to commemorate your Martin Luther King Day service with a patch? Go to https://www.girlscoutshop.com/ and search “Martin Luther King” for several great options!

Dr. King displayed his courage, confidence, and character and took action to make the world a better place as he organized boycotts and protests, practiced radical nonviolence, and played a leading role in the fight for American Civil Rights. Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929. Although King grew up in a “comfortable middle-class family” in Atlanta, Georgia, he still experienced racial prejudices, racial segregation, discrimination, inequalities, etc., all because he was a Black American (Lewis, 2022). Despite the weight of the country pushing against him, he continued to advocate, organize, and lead. After earning his doctorate, King moved to Montgomery, Alabama, where he joined the civil rights movement (1954–1968). The civil rights movement was a movement to give everybody equal rights regardless of the color of their skin, gender, nationality, religion, disability, age, etc. Everyone is to be treated equally and protected by the law. King also became a leader of the civil rights movement. King delivered his “I have a dream” speech in 1963 which became one of his most well-known speeches (Lewis, 2022). His speech was about his dream of a country with no segregation and racism, to have equality for all, and a beloved community. Instead of choosing violence, King became well known as a leader who used the power of words, the act of public service, and acts of nonviolence resistance to gain equality and human rights for African Americans, the economically disadvantaged, and all who faced injustice.

The March on Washington was a march to gain jobs and freedom. It was a peaceful march to end segregation, gain fair wages, economic justice, voting rights, and education, and for civil rights protections. King saw the economic inequalities: people working full-time jobs yet only getting paid a part-time income. King always advocated for an economic bill of rights for poor white, black, and brown workers. Today, many bills have been passed for equality at work such as the Equality Act, Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, the Affordable Care Act, Social Security Act, Unemployment Benefits, etc. These efforts from him and other members of the Civil Rights Movement eventually led to the 24th Amendment making poll taxes unconstitutional, restoring the power of the 14th and 15th Amendments, and creating three Civil Rights Acts. Dr. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. Girl Scouts honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day through community service each year on the third Monday in January. Participation in service activities has grown each year as more Americans are encouraged to provide meaningful change in their communities.

Discover
Step 1: Discovering Martin Luther King Jr.

Learn more about Martin Luther King Jr. below:

For more videos and speeches about Martin Luther King Jr.:

Connect
Step 2: Connect to your community through a community service activity

Community service is:

  • usually activity-focused
  • girls joining something already in place
  • girls following someone else’s directions

Whereas Take Action projects are:

  • creativity-focused projects, where girls assess needs and create plans
  • projects where girls create opportunities for others to serve now and in the future
  • projects where girls use leadership skills to make decisions and give directions to other volunteers

Participating in community service is a great way to spark an interest in further Take Action projects!

Community Service Ideas:

Contribute

  • Collect toys, books, games, backpack, and clothing for donations.
  • Create hygiene kits that include shampoo, soap, toothpaste, and toothbrushes. soap, toothpaste, and toothbrushes.
  • Donate food to a food pantry.
  • Collect hats, mittens, and coats.
  • Put together first aid kits for local shelters
  • Bake cookies and snacks for food pantries in your area
  • Volunteer at a food pantry
  • Volunteer at a community center
  • Pick up trash in your local community (I.e. Park, School Playground)
  • Write thank you cards
  • Help shovel snow

Advocate

  • Write letters to your elected officials about an issue that is important to you.

Educate

  • Share what you find out about an issue that is important to you with those around you.
  • Share with those around you on what they can do
  • Talk to your peers about the issue(s) that is important to you
  • Follow your local news.
  • Take advantage of teachable moments. When you see something isn’t right, share your compassionate and informed view on the difficult circumstances.
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