A day of community service this weekend aims to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The eighth annual MLK Day of Service this Saturday, Jan. 18 will host volunteer projects supporting over 20 Volunteer Arlington partners.
Planned projects at the event, which starts at 8:30 a.m. at Washington-Liberty High School (301 N. Stafford Street), include environmental cleanups, invasive plant removal and packaging meals for those in need.
“Volunteer Arlington’s MLK Day of Service has become a community tradition,” Lisa Fikes, president and CEO of the Leadership Center of Arlington, said in a release. “It is a day of remembrance as well as of hope, offering individuals, groups, and businesses an opportunity to listen, learn, and act for others.”
Volunteers can pre-register and choose a service project on the Volunteer Arlington website. Walk-in volunteers will be welcome, if space permits.
Event check-in begins promptly at 8:30 a.m., and the first 750 volunteers to arrive will receive a free event t-shirt.
An opening program will recognize Dr. Reuben Varghese, Arlington’s longtime public health director and recipient of the 2025 Beloved Community Award.
Varghese, who is now preparing to retire, began leading the county’s Public Health Department in 2005. He guided the department through 20 years of public health challenges, including Ebola, West Nile Disease and Covid-19.
“Dr. Varghese has been a driving force behind Arlington County’s efforts to promote health equity through his personal and professional actions, forging and fostering partnerships with health care providers, health care organizations, and neighboring jurisdictions,” a press release from Volunteer Arlington says.
