12/14/10 jgm

HAYS, Kan. -- Fort Hays State University will host its third annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Candlelight Celebration, both on Monday, Jan. 17. Each year, the National Day of Service honors King's legacy by asking Americans to help their neighbors and communities.

The day of service is sponsored by Tigers in Service, which will organize volunteers to serve the Hays community. Past projects include volunteering at elementary schools, nursing homes, churches and for clean-ups through-out Hays.

Volunteers may sign up through Friday, Jan. 14, by going to the Office of Diversity Affairs website at http://www.fhsu.edu/diversity/. Each participant will receive a free T-shirt for participating.

Two shifts will be available on Monday, Jan. 17: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Volunteers will meet in the Sunset Lounge of the Memorial Union.

The candlelight celebration will be from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center and will commemorate King's life. This year's theme is "Be the One," showing the connectedness between King, Rosa Parks and Malcolm X for their work and commitment to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.

Entertainers will be Mike Ferguson, Jessica Maguire and Jamison Green. The main production of the evening will be "The 60s, Oh What a Time It Was," produced, co-written and directed by George Jackson, III, coordinator of the Office of Diversity Affairs.

"We have had a very good response so far," Jackson said. "We started out with 35 students our first year and last year we had 85 student volunteers. This event has been met with glowing remarks from the community as well as FHSU students and faculty."

For more information, contact Jackson at 785-628-4664.